The Legend of Spyro: Rebirth By Shadow
by Maria Seinheart
Summary: The world is under threat from the forces and darkness. Spyro stands up to the challenge one more time to save the world but how long can he last before his dark side consumes him?
1. Chapter 1

**The Legend of Spyro: Rebirth by Shadow**

* * *

**Plot**: Ten long years have passed since Cynder's death and Spyro's exile from reality. In the year 0010 Frost Fire, Spyro was called to attend a meeting in the mountain city of Mon Tiara. There, Spyro will embark on a journey of defeating his inner shadow as well as an invasion from an overlapping realm between the real world and Convexity called the Immaterial. Succeed, Spyro will save himself and the world. Fail, and the whole world is doomed and Spyro will be the next Dark Master.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Spyro followed two dragon guards up a mountain of mist. The base of the mountain was visible but the top of the mountain was covered by thick clouds. About few hundred meters above at the side of a mountain, there was a cave which was well-hidden from plain sight.

"You should be honored, Spyro. You are the first outsider in centuries to step into a secluded world not many know about," a blue-colored dragon guard said while looking at Spyro.

"Does it really matter? It's not like I'm getting a prize or anything," Spyro said.

The guards led him into what seemed like an abandon diamond mine shaft. Everywhere Spyro went, he saw abandoned mining tools, mining carts as well as some boxes containing red sticks with strings attached to them. Rusty pick axes were found littered on the ground and shovels lay forgotten in dark corners.

"This was once known as the Mines of Luzon. An expedition led by a human a miner named Luzon, hence the name of the mine, were looking for gold and he and his men became rich after they found precious stones and diamonds in this cave. It wasn't what they were looking for but anything precious will do. His descendents mined and mined the cave until the diamonds were depleted and they had to move on. If we're lucky, we can sometimes find lost diamonds," the other guard, a green dragon, said.

"That explains the mining equipment. Just a quick question though. What happened to the humans? I've heard no mention about them before," Spyro said.

"The humans died out one thousand years ago before the rise of Malefor. Splintered by constant warfare and strife, the fought each other to the death until the last one succumbed to his wounds in this very mine, hiding from the horrors of war. I think his bones are still around here…assuming that the mould and dampness of the mines do not rot the bones," the blue dragon said.

They reached a huge elevator shaft that was able to fit all of them though it was a tight squeeze. The green dragon pulled a lever and the elevator shook a bit before rising upwards.

"Spyro, whenever you feel the need to hide, you're always welcome to Mon Tiara. The mist and occasional heavy fog covers the top of the mountain all the time and we sit in a crater of the mountain so even when someone tries to peer through the clouds, they can never see the city. It's a safe haven," the green dragon said.

"But remember one thing: never ever reveal the location of Mon Tiara to anyone. The Dragon Council and the Temple of Ancestors are located there along with many artifacts and holy items. It would be wise to keep all of them safe," the blue one added.

"But Malefor is dead, isn't he? There shouldn't be any evil left in the world," Spyro remarked.

"Do not be naïve, Spyro. You can never eradicate evil and conflicting ideas as long as there is more than one person inhabiting in a single world. The aspect of eternal peace can never be achieved in the mortal world and its wishful thinking if you think Malefor is dead," the green dragon said.

"This is why you were summoned by the Council. They have something important to discuss with you and it's regarding Malefor," the blue dragon said darkly.

"Don't tell me he has returned," Spyro said with a worried tone.

"No, he's sealed up but his will lingers and even in his sealed state, Malefor can still manipulate the minds of mortals and immortals alike," the green dragon replied.

The elevator stopped with a loud creak and the dragons walked out of the elevator. Walking down another mine shaft, they came upon a wall section with a door outline. The blue dragon touched the door and muttered a few words. Moments later, Spyro heard distinct clicks coming from the seemingly immovable wall and light glowed from the outline. The stone wall, or more accurately a door, opened and a blast of cold air greeted Spyro.

"You'll love it here," the blue dragon said with a small smile.

Spyro followed the two guards. It was hard to see through the fog but when they came upon a clearing, Spyro saw a nice small town located in a crater nearby. A decorated temple stood in the middle of the town with a large structure located behind it.

"Welcome to Mon Tiara, Spyro. It's not as big or flashy as Warfang but may it serve you as your sanctuary and new home," the green dragon said.

The three flew down to the town and were greeted by several dragons. They were all smiling and many of them were well-mannered and composed dragons, even the teenage ones. Small crop fields were found throughout the town and the dragonesses tended to the young growing shoots of flowers and vegetables. The dragons were busy helping in the farms and gathered wood growing at the side of the crater. When Spyro was in front of the temple, he saw a grand statue of a well-built dragon wearing a suit of armor.

"This is Captain Revan Stormfang, a brave leader who opposed the tyranny of Malefor during the old ages. He's regarded as the Temple Keeper of our temple because he built this temple and defended it from Malefor's forces," the blue dragon guard said as they passed the statue.

"Malefor knows of Mon Tiara's existence?" Spyro asked.

"He knows but it surprised us all that he chose to invade Warfang when we used to be his highly prized target in the days of old. I think it was because of your presence in Warfang," the green dragon answered.

They entered the temple from the front and came out from the back and walked across a bridge spanning across a small lake that was so clear that Spyro could see the bottom and fishes that swam about. Lilypads dotted the lake and rows of bougainvilleas and roses grew near the edge of the lake. In the middle of the lake was a large white Sacred Lotus flower and that was a flower that Spyro has never seen before. At the end of the bridge was a Chinese-looking structure with another statue of Revan Stormfang guarding the entrance.

"The council chamber is just up ahead. Make haste, the Dragon Councilors have been waiting for three hours," the green dragon said.

Spyro was hesitant and he slowly entered the temple. He looked around and saw a semicircle table at the end of the hall with seven dragons of different colors seated at the table. The middle dragon, a light blue dragon with air powers, smiled warmly as Spyro approached them.

"My guards tell me that you're not an easy dragon to find, Spyro. How are you?" he asked kindly.

"I'm doing quite well until you guys found me. I heard that you have something important to discuss with me," Spyro said.

"Yes and I'm sure Tassaris and Logan have mentioned about the topic of our discussion. We cannot fully eradicate Malefor's evil influence unless you are around to help us so that is why we called for you," the light blue dragon said.

Spyro nodded his head. "I haven't got your name though."

"Ah, yes, how rude of me not to introduce ourselves to you. My name is **Aeron**, Dragon of Air. Starting from my left, we have **Blitz**, Dragon of Lightning. Then we have **Aqua**, Dragoness of Water; **Ferrus**, Dragon of Metal; **Inferno**, Dragon of Fire; **Frost**, Dragon of Ice and **Melkor**, Dragon of Earth. We are the representatives of the respective elements of this world and we regulate the rules of conduct of those who learn our elements. We are also in charge of maintaining law and order of this world," Aeron said to Spyro.

"If you guys are in charge of maintaining law and order, why did you not stop Malefor from destroying the world many years ago?" Spyro asked suspiciously.

"Spyro, you must understand that while it is our job, we do not actively interfere with people's daily lives unless we really need to, like now for example. You may not like being the savior and all but it is your task for the prophecies have predicted that you are the source of peace and justice. However, there is where the prophecy ends. It never determined your future or the path you will take in the future. We are here to guide you and lead you through the right tracks," Aqua said.

"And what does that have to do with my current state and Malefor?"

"You will be surprised, Spyro, but all we can tell you now is that Malefor is working behind the scenes and he's eyeing for revenge. He already had his revenge on Cynder and now, I'm afraid he's coming after you," Aqua explained patiently.

"Cynder…" Spyro muttered.

"I'm sure you do realize the situation, Spyro. You should have realized by now that the one who killed Cynder wasn't an assassin working for someone. It was you all along with your dark side controlling you," Blitz remarked.

"Yes, I'm pretty aware of that but don't remind me of Cynder anymore. It took me seven years to forget about her and move on with my life so please…do not mention her name again. I'm ashamed of what I did that night," Spyro said bitterly.

Blitz looked at Spyro sympathetically and sighed sadly. "I know and I did not intend to but it has to be mentioned. Tell me, Spyro, have you ever conversed or interacted with you dark side?" Blitz asked softly.

"I don't know…many times actually and each passing year marks the increase of hostility. I find myself facing my own in my dreams and he has no problem pouncing on me and defeating me in battle. I feel like I'm losing grip of myself. He says that my time is almost up and there is nothing I can do about it. It happened so many times before. I can walk through a forest full of life, black out and find myself surrounded by dead animals and scorching trees. My dark side has a mind of his own," Spyro said in a fearful whisper.

"We understand your plight, Spyro, and that is why we are here to help you. We not only need your help in defeating an old enemy, we are also here to help vanquish your dark side forever. You can never do it alone and neither can we help you without you cooperating with us," Inferno said.

"I…I dunno…I feel quite doubtful right now. My dark side may just take over and make me kill everyone. I may end up murdering people again," Spyro said sadly.

Aeron stood up from his seat and walked towards Spyro. The purple dragon felt a cool breeze when he was close to Aeron.

"They don't call Mon Tiara the City of Tranquility for nothing. Your dark side will not easily influence you while you're here and even if he does, we can handle him. Don't you worry," said Aeron.

"Well…I still don't know…"

"I understand. You're still full of doubt. It's perfectly normal after what you've been through. We'll let you think things through but remember this: the world is at stake now that Malefor has raised an army from the depths of the Underworld and is poised to strike at any given time. Peace may not last long and I fear that we do not have enough time to muster a force strong enough to oppose Malefor. The world got lucky last time but somehow, I have a bad feeling about this one."

"I need some time…I'm really not thinking clearly right now…"

"Of course. Tassaris, Logan, show Spyro his room in the temple. Let him do anything he likes," Aeron called out to the temple guards.

The two dragons came into the hall and led Spyro out. When they were gone, Aeron shook his head and sighed sadly.

"It's harder than I expected. My foresight did show that Spyro was still in conflict with his thoughts and emotions but I never expected it to be that bad," Aeron said.

"He needs some time. I'm sure that if we give him enough time to think and rest, he'll help us," Ferrus said huskily.

"That is one thing we're lacking, Ferrus," Frost said. "The longer we linger here and wait for Spyro to snap out of it, the more Malefor has a chance to bolster his army with mortals who prefer to join his cause. The ancient spirits tell me that it is happening. Even as we speak, the timber wolves have joined Malefor's army along with an entire population of ogres and Jabberwockies."

"So it is true that the Jabberwockies are siding with Malefor," Aqua muttered.

"Well of course they are. Those excuses for a dragon are born naturally aligned to chaotic evil. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to join Malefor," Frost said.

"Then this will actually bring harm to the balance of this world. That cannot be allowed to happen," Ferrus replied.

"Which is why Spyro is here. He will be our instrument for balancing the world but he must first learn how to balance his dark side and his own self," Aeron said while returning to his seat.

"Like I said, we're wasting time here. We don't know when Malefor will give the order to attack and we have two options that bring us disadvantages. If we were to strike first, we do not know where to strike and if Spyro wanders too close to Malefor's area of influence, his dark side may overpower him and take control of him forever. If we wait, Malefor's forces will strike first and he will strike hard. Sooner or later, he'll have his take over everything on this planet including Mon Tiara. Listen, Aeron, we're at wit's end and unless someone has a better idea, we're doomed," Frost said loudly.

Aeron sighed. Frost was right and while they have the power of foresight, prophecy and wisdom, it did not mean that they were omnipotent. They have little information about Malefor's moves and plans because Malefor has been hiding his will quite well from their spies. Without proper intelligence, their preemptive attacks will only prove futile.

"We have no choice, Frost. I have to pick the lesser of two disadvantageous choices and I choose to wait for Spyro to regain his conscience and grip on reality. It's a risk I'm willing to take," Aeron said.

"Then so be it. We will wait," Frost said.

* * *

Spyro slept on a soft mattress and stared at a rat hole in the wall. Once in a while, a rat would come out to look for something before scampering into the hole again. Spyro sighed and got up from his mattress.

"That voice and presence in my head hasn't been bothering me for a while. At least that'll give me time to think," Spyro said to himself.

He looked out the window of the temple and stared at the crystal clear lake. Some frogs were seen resting on the lilypads while carps and young tortoises swam about in the lake. Just then, Spyro noticed an attractive young dragoness sitting by the lakeside, feeding the fishes with bread crumbs. She looked almost like Cynder but this dragoness was aqua-colored. Her tail had a knife-like blade and spikes grew from her back where the spine ridge was supposed to be. She had a gold bracelet on her left paw.

"Who is she?" Spyro wondered out loud.

"That, my chap, is Marina, temple priestess in-training. She's a fine young lass," someone said in a very learned accent.

Spyro looked around and noticed a mouse seated at the window sill next to Spyro. He had tiny glasses on and held a small book in his tiny paws.

"You talk?" Spyro asked disbelievingly.

"Well of course I talk. Why, I'm one of the few rodents in this world that can talk. Not only that, I'm an arcane scholar, expert in cults and an ardent traveler…well, used to anyway," the mouse said with a smile. "The name's Ivan P. Rodent at your service."

"Well…nice to meet you…my name's Spyro," Spyro said.

"Ah, the purple dragon that helped pull the world back together. You're a brave young lad, Spyro, but I'm afraid that it isn't enough. The Dark Master may be sealed but his will lingers on. Even as we speak, he's gathering an army of immortals and mortals alike and something tells me he will strike fast and hard. In human terms, such a tactic in war is called a blitzkrieg. Blitz did not like the name but hey, it sounded cool," Ivan remarked with a small chuckle.

"I'm still wondering about how this is connected to vanquishing my dark side. They are two different matters," Spyro said while watching Marina feed the fishes.

"They are indeed two different matters but are interrelated. Malefor's will is controlling your dark side and as his influence grows, so will your dark side. To destroy Malefor's source of his will is to not only destroy the enemy but your dark side as well. As of now, we still do not know what the source is and where it is. Such a vacuum of intelligence is dangerous if we are to commence a preemptive attack on the enemy and will put you at risk. You are truly our only hope, Spyro. You are the only one that can stop Malefor and that is why we want you here in Mon Tiara where you can be safe from Malefor's influence," Ivan replied.

Spyro looked at the mouse. "You're with the Dragon Council as well?"

"But of course. I'm their advisor and chief strategist. Oh yes, I have a very important role in this. Do not let size and race fool you, Spyro, even the smallest and most insignificant of all creatures can be a big help. It not only applies to me, it can also be applied to you. We are but like tiny grains of sand in an infinite universe but our deeds will not go unnoticed. We can always make a difference as long as you have the willpower," Ivan said while smacking his fist into his open palm.

Spyro was silent for five whole seconds and Ivan's ears drooped.

"I understand you're having doubts in your heart after what happened that fateful night, Spyro, but like what the councilors have said, you cannot evade reality forever. It will continue to exist whether you like it or not. You have to return to reality and face it. Also, please do understand that prophecies are only guides through our lives. You are the prophesized savior that will defeat Malefor. Everything seems to go according to prophecy because people chose to follow it and some tried so hard to prevent certain prophecies that they died in the process and fulfilled the prophecy they wished to prevent from happening. It's an ironic thing," Ivan said while scampering up Spyro's shoulder and up to his head.

"So what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say, Spyro, is that you need not heed the prophecies. You do what you do best and things will eventually come to you. Do not burden yourself with the expectations of others just because they say the prophecy says so. You can always be the savior as long as you follow your heart or you can always choose a path you desire. Remember, it is your life and you are the decision maker; not others. Prophecies are merely guidelines."

"Seems complicated but…you have a point, Ivan. For years I've tried so hard to maintain the image that everyone expects me to be just because of the prophecy. It's driving me nuts and I'm tired with all the fame and glory. I just want to be me and I want to be the dragon that used to think I'm a dragonfly," Spyro said with some determination in his voice.

"And I think that is one of the problems that fuel your dark side, Spyro. It feeds on your frustration and you gave it power by trying so hard to be what people expect you to be and getting frustrated," Ivan said with a smile and slid down Spyro's back.

"You mean this was a test all along?"

"Something like that but I was also trying to get you to open up and be free of all your anger and frustration. It's one way of defeating your dark side," Ivan explained.

Spyro sighed and smiled at Ivan. "Thanks, Ivan, I actually feel much better," Spyro said.

"That's what I was hoping for, Spyro. I have a meeting with the councilors later so feel free to reflect on your troubles and perhaps make a decision. The world cannot be saved without your help and you cannot save yourself without the world's help. You are never alone, Spyro, and we'll always be there for you. You'll always have allies," Ivan said.

The last sentence reminded Spyro of what Ignitus used to say. A tear drop fell from his eye and he wiped it away. Ivan pretended not to see it as he did not want to embarrass Spyro.

"Soul search yourself and if you have any troubles, come find me. I'll do everything in my power to help you," Ivan said and exited the room.

Spyro nodded and looked for Marina again. She was gone but a blue handkerchief was found near the edge of the lake. Spyro flew down and took it.

"It smells like lavender," Spyro muttered when he caught the sweet scent from the handkerchief.

He walked around a pavilion and got startled as he saw Marina before him. She seemed to be searching for something.

"Um…you're Marina, right?" Spyro said while trying hard not to blush.

"Um…yeah…I am. Listen, have you seen my handkerchief? I seem to have misplaced it," Marina said shyly.

Spyro handed her the handkerchief and she smiled shyly as she received it from Spyro. "Thank you. Mind I know your name?"

"I'm…Pyro, no, Syro…damn it. I'm Spyro," Spyro said in a fluster.

"Spyro…you're that dragon who defeated Malefor, right? I thought you looked familiar," Marina said.

"Yeah…familiar…um…I just don't like the fame," Spyro muttered.

"You deserved to be known for your heroic deeds. By defeating Malefor, you have avenged our unborn brothers and sisters who did not have a chance to live during the night of the raid by Gaul's army on the temple," Marina remarked.

Spyro's eyes widened and he looked at Marina.

"Wait, you were with the same batch of eggs as me?"

"If we are of the same age, then it is no mistake. I'm twenty this year and you look around that age as well."

"I am twenty…but this doesn't make sense. I was told that only Cynder's egg…" Spyro stopped at the mention of Cynder's name.

Marina looked at Spyro sympathetically and placed a paw on his cheek, causing Spyro to blush.

"I understand what you were told. While most of the eggs were destroyed, a handful survived the raid and I'm fortunate that my egg was spared. I was taken up for adoption and I have been living in Mon Tiara ever since. I don't really know you until now but somehow, I feel like as if I have a connection with you," Marina said.

She realized what she just said and quickly turned away due to embarrassment. Spyro also looked away but secretly feeling happy that someone touched his face. He missed the feeling that Cynder usually gave him when she was alive.

"Um…look, I gotta go. My training session starts now," Marina said hastily and ran away.

Spyro look stoned and he just stood there, replaying the conversation in his mind. "Wait…this can't be…" he said when he snapped out of it. "I promised not to fall in love again. This is…just not right!"

He dunked his head into the lake and held it there for five seconds before raising it up and gasped for air. Spyro then took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"No, I refuse to fall in love or be mesmerized by other dragonesses. I'm not worthy," Spyro muttered.

He looked at the sky and sighed.

"Wherever you are, Cynder, I hope you'll continue to be by my side."

**-To be continued-**

**A/N**: Well, I'm on a break for one month so I thought I'd write a story since I'm feeling bored. Feel free to review it and I'll make this story worth your time as I do not intend it to be a cliched plot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

There was a small Chinese restaurant nearby selling some foods Spyro was not familiar with. It seemed delicious so Spyro decided to check it out.

"Ah, a new face. It has been quite a while since we've seen a new dragon around here," the shop owner said with a smile. "Please, have a seat."

"It's alright, I don't have any money to pay for the food anyway," Spyro said.

"No, it's alright. Food here is free, it's always free! The Dragon Council pays for my services and people can just come in and eat without paying," the shop owner said.

"Really?" Spyro asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, you can ask Aeron if you like. I cook the finest food around here and you will not regret it. I have a range of Eastern foods the humans that used to live around this area cook. It's very different from what you eat in places such as Warfang or Calandor," the shop owner remarked and gave Spyro a menu.

Spyro looked through it and noticed a lot of dishes he have never heard before though they looked tasty.

"Chicken rice with parsley and bean sprouts, fried noodles with cockles, eggs and some veggies, steamed fish with garlic and soy sauce and so much more. What is your pick?"

"Just give me a bowl of noodles."

"Alright, let me prepare it for you."

Spyro looked around him and saw that the other dragons skillfully used chopsticks to eat noodles. How they did that was beyond Spyro. He has seen chopsticks but being a four-legged animal means that it's near impossible to eat with chopsticks or any other cutlery. Spyro noticed that the other dragons were sitting on their behinds and sitting up straight! Spyro tried to imitate them but fell on his back instead. The others took no notice of Spyro and continued with their meals and conversations.

"How the heck do they do it?" Spyro wandered as he got up from the ground.

"It takes practice, young dragon. They have been trained from young to use the different types of cutlery used for eating different types of food. It is hard but it's not impossible. Don't worry, I can make it easy for you to eat," the dragon shop keeper said.

"It's alright, I want to give it a try," Spyro said with determination.

When his bowl of noodles came, Spyro took a lot of effort to balance himself while sitting straight and upright. He was wobbly but at least he did not fall over. Now, he tried to grab the chopsticks but it was a failure. Spyro either fell to the ground while attempting to use the chopsticks or he crossed his chopsticks so much that they flew out of his grasp.

"Gee, this is harder than trying to get Sparx to shut up," Spyro joked.

"It takes a lot of practice. We have learned how to use cutlery and chopsticks at a very young age and we don't expect you to catch on so quickly. Be patient and learn," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

So in the end, Spyro had to resort to eating his noodles straight from the bowl. It was a little embarrassing because he noticed that only the young dragons that have not learn how to eat with cutlery and chopsticks did that. After his meal, Spyro went for a stroll through the town. It was a quiet little town unlike Warfang and the structures here resemble those of a place he remembered humans called China. He found that in a book back at the Dragon Temple in Warfang where Volteer showed interest in studying the geography of other worlds. Spyro actually liked the designs for a change. He visited the many pawn shops that dotted the streets and all of them sold genuine artifacts from previous eras. Spyro would've bought some if he had the money.

"That thing is a five hundred year-old chrome sword. The Emperor Dragons of old used it in battle during the many wars that broke out in this world. It was rumored that the sword has cut over ten thousand enemies," the shopkeeper, a kindly old dragoness said.

"Ten thousand doesn't seem a lot," Spyro said.

"Ten thousand dragon enemies and even back then, dragon population on this planet was not more than fifty thousand given a dragon's slow breeding rate and growth rate," the shopkeeper explained.

Spyro looked at the chrome-colored sword with awe. It still looked as though it was new and it shone with splendor under the sunlight that shone down on it through a small window located to the left of the shop.

"That sword is called Val'Karis Massa'ria. In Ancient Draconic, it means "the bringer of light". It's a fitting name for such a sword for it has the ability to multiply even the dimmest of light rays by tenfold. Rumor has it that Emperor Dragon Rassirah reflected a dim beam of light that shone into a cave through a small hole and illuminated the entire cave. This helped blind his enemies that were lurking in the darkness," the shopkeeper said.

"If that is true, why isn't it shining as brilliant even when light is shining at it now?" Spyro asked.

"It's five centuries-old and most of its reflective properties are lost but you have to admit, the fact that it still shines brighter than any other thing is really an amazing sight."

"How did you acquire the weapon?"

"My ancestors were relatives of the last Dragon Emperor and he entrusted the sword to my family's care. So, it was passed down from generation to generation. It's a family weapon and it's only for display; not for sale."

"Too bad it isn't. It's such a…magnificent piece of weapon."

Suddenly, he was approached by the two dragon guards that escorted him to Mon Tiara. The blue dragon, Tassaris, had an urgent look on his face.

"Spyro, the Council requests your audience. It's important," he said.

"What's going on?" Spyro asked with a slight scowl.

"The Council has decided to send you on a mission. It's very important that's all I can say," Tassaris answered.

Spyro nodded his head and followed the two guards to the Council Chambers. He saw that the seven dragons and Ivan were looking rather grim. It was as if something bad has happened.

"Spyro, we may require your help on this one. I hope you won't mind doing some work," Aeron said.

"What's going on here? Can you at least tell me what's going on before I agree to thing?" Spyro said.

Ivan looked at Spyro and beckoned Spyro to come closer. On the semicircle table was a picture of a red-colored dragoness with a golden headgear that looked like a phoenix.

"This is our spy, Natasha Ivakina. A few days ago, she was sent into the heart of timber wolf territory at the foot of Mount Grendor. We were trying to learn of the timber wolf formation and their moves. She last reported in a day ago and she will never fail to do so until now. This leads me to fear that something has befallen her and we're sending you to check things out," Ivan explained the situation.

"Why me?"

"You're the only dragon known that masters more than one basic element. The timber wolves have varied resistance to different elements and while we contemplated on sending in a team of dragons to assist Natasha, some of us decided that it was risky and easily spotted," Melkor said.

"Why send in a group of dragons with different elements when we can just send one dragon with different elements? Your size is still considered small and you'll not be spotted easily and you've been to combat before and I trust you have experience in fighting. Plus, with only you going, the enemy will not notice you coming until it's too late. I'm sure they're expecting a medium-sized or large force but they won't expect a lone dragon to show up. You have the element of surprise," Frost said with a smile.

"What of Malefor's area of influence? Has it extended there? If it has, then you may be putting me in danger," Spyro argued.

"Natasha is a spiritually sensitive dragon. According to her last report, she noted that the Mount Grendor area was still teeming with life although she still felt a slight taint of evil. You can say that the current contamination level is still negligible," Ferrus remarked.

Spyro thought about it and shook his head. "But for how long? That report is outdated and one day can make a difference. Not that I'm not willing to help…it's just that I'm not taking any chances."

"Neither do we but we don't have a choice. Natasha has very important information that will prove useful to us in trying to predict Malefor's moves. We need this intelligence if we are to locate the source of Malefor's will and destroy it," Aeron said.

"You guys brought me here so you could use me."

"We didn't bring you to Mon Tiara just to use you. You have your abilities so why not out them to good use? Your path to personal salvation does not come free, Spyro, you know that. We agreed to help you and now it's your turn to help the world," Aeron snapped.

Spyro thought about it and nodded his head. "I'm sorry, I was used to thinking that people are friendly to me so they can use me."

"It's alright, Spyro, we understand your plight because we've seen what you have been through. Before you ask, let me assure you that our foresights were put to use and we're not spying on your daily life. We only know what we want to know," Aeron assured Spyro.

"You have to hurry though. The longer you wait, the more likely Natasha will be in danger. It's a two-day flight to Mount Grendor and here is a map for you. Land at the south end of the mountain so you can avoid detection, then, walk around the mountain to the north side. This will take you only five hours if you make haste," Frost said and handed Spyro a map.

"Okay, so I'm to infiltrate the timber wolf territory, check on the spy and return with her if she's alive."

"That's one way to summarize things. Take some time to prepare and come speak to me when you're ready," Aeron said.

Spyro took some time to read the map. The area around Mount Grendor was empty aside from a few grassy hills and sharp crags. The area where the timber wolves lived looked like a tribal village according to the map.

"It's not strategically situated," Spyro muttered.

"On the contrary, Spyro, it is. They have a wall surrounding the village and they have also dug into the mountain to gain more living space for their population. You can say it's well fortified because according to Natasha's report dated a month ago, their walls are no standard palisades. The materials they use to build their walls are made of ironwood," said Ivan.

"That's very strong wood," Spyro said while looking at Ivan.

"It is and to breach it will be hard. To enter the village will also be hard because they can see you and climbing Mount Grendor is just gonna waste your time. Your best hope of infiltrating their village is during the cover night when it is moonless. According to the Astronomy Calendar, it should be a moonless night when you reach there. They can see in the dark so I suggest that you watch their patrol pattern before making your move. Also, there is rumored to be a secret cave which leads into the encampment but no one can confirm if this is true."

"Wait, if you say that they can see in the dark, doesn't that make a moonless night pointless?"

"Hmm…yes but they won't see as well as being in a night with moonlight…or was it the other way around?" Ivan muttered thoughtfully.

"You were never good with biology, Ivan," Blitz said to the mouse while shaking his head.

"Well, that can't be helped," Ivan said with a goofy grin.

Aeron shook his head and spoke. "Anyway, just go there and rescue Natasha. If she's dead, be sure to retrieve the Scroll of Memory from her. It has all the recorded thoughts and will serve as intelligence for us."

"I got it. I'll be leaving now," Spyro said and grabbed the map before leaving.

"Wait, don't you need some rest first?" Aqua asked.

"I've already got all the rest I need, ma'am. Thanks for your concern," Spyro said with a smile and left.

"Huh, he's sure a lively one," Melkor quipped.

"Not to mention that his emotions are a little out of place as well," Inferno added.

* * *

Spyro exited the mines with a little help from Logan, the green dragon guard. Before him was the Great Plain of Water with dozens of shining lakes reflecting the late afternoon sunlight.

"You be careful, Spyro. May the Ancestors guide your path," Logan said.

"I will, Logan. Thanks for your concern," Spyro replied.

"Oh, if you see my wife, send my regards to her."

"Wait, Natasha's your wife?"

"The best wife a dragon could ever have. I hope she's safe."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure no harm will befall her."

Spyro waved Logan goodbye and took to the skies, his spirit feeling strangely light. It was as if staying in Mon Tiara for a few hours had given him some respite he badly needed. Even so, his dark side continued to threaten him in his mind.

"You may have weakened me by staying in a place free of influence but that doesn't mean it'll stop me. Soon, your body will be mine and you can't do a thing about it," his dark side hissed.

Spyro looked worried but he chose to ignore it. Meanwhile, two hundred miles east at Warfang, Terrador had mustered an army of dragons. Each of them was armed to the teeth and fully armored and was supported by an army of cheetahs and rhinos.

"It shall be a black day for us. I will not lie to you about our current condition but know that I will have no cowardice in this army. We are the fighters of the free world and cowardice will only hinder our goals. Fear not death for it is the living that will kill you. Embrace death with glory and remember our goal. Even against all odds, we will stand up against a force of one hundred thousand Jabberwockies!" Terrador yelled and pointed at a sea of Jabberwockies outside of Warfang.

They were shouting for blood and many of them yelled viciously and hungrily. Some of the defending soldiers took big gulps of saliva in fear but none of them backed down. Terrador was secretly scared but he did not show it to his men.

"Terrador, this is madness. We don't have enough soldiers to fight against them. Those Jabberwockies are well-trained killers and all we have are a bunch of misfit soldiers," Cyril whispered.

"Even misfits can fight, Cyril. Let's pray for the best now that Spyro isn't here to help us. Get used to it for it's time to show them what we can do. We cannot rely on one dragon to do everything for us," Terrador answered.

"But-"

"The last time an invasion happened, Spyro and Cynder did most of the heavy work and we did not give them the proper thank you they deserve. Now, we shall pay the price for our ingratitude. Get ready for battle, Cyril," Terrador said gruffly.

Before Cyril could rebuke Terrador, they saw their soldiers scrambling away. The two looked up and saw a hail of fireballs hurtling towards them.

"Get out of the way!" Cyril shouted and the two ran for cover.

The fireballs impacted the ramparts and blew some of the sections into pieces. The soldiers rallied and started firing the dragon cannons at the enemy formation.

"This isn't looking good," Hunter said when he noticed aerial units approaching the city.

He took his trusty bow and arrow and shot at one of the flying Jabberwockies. The barbed arrow hit one of them straight in the left eye and it cried out in pain. Hunter shot another arrow and this time, it went through the heart, killing the creature and sent it falling to the ground.

"Archers, ready your arrows!" Hunter shouted.

All rhino and cheetah archers readied their bows and arrows and took aim. Hunter gave the signal to fire and all of them fired in a single volley. It was raining arrows for the Jabberwockies but even barbed arrows were not particularly effective.

"Fire arrows, use fire arrows!" Hunter shouted when he saw that the arrows did not do much harm.

The archers dipped their arrows into oil and someone came with a torch to light them up.

"Alright, light 'em up!"

They let loose another volley of fiery arrows and this time, they manage to burn and kill the Jabberwockies. That wasn't enough to stop the others from attacking the city though. More fireballs from enemy catapults pounded the city and the Jabberwockies that could fly landed in the middle of the city.

"They're heading straight for the doors! They're trying to open them!" Cyril said.

The soldiers rushed to defend the gates and beat back the intruders but they were so strong that each slash from the Jabberwocky's heavy mace sent the soldiers flying. The dragon soldiers were the only ones that were able to fight them back.

"Think you can just stop us with a few dragon whelps? The will of Malefor cannot be stopped," a Jabberwocky taunted a red dragon as they clashed.

"The will of Malefor will never succeed as long as Spyro is around," the red dragon snarled and took a claw swipe at his opponent.

"You put your hopes on something that is already corrupted. Your doom is already inevitable. Submit or be destroyed like those who resisted," the Jabberwocky said and fired a blast of purple lightning at the red dragon.

The red dragon crouched and the lightning blast struck a building. As the two sides clashed, the gates were slowly weakened by the constant ramming from timber wolf-made siege rams. These iron rams were designed to break even the most magically fortified gates such as Warfang's.

"I'll go take care of that ram. You're in charge of the defenses," Terrador said to Cyril.

"You better hurry up, Terrador. We're in danger of being overrun," Cyril said while whacking away a Jabberwocky.

Terrador flew down into the enemy ranks and whipped up a storm of destruction, slashing, clawing and slamming Jabberwockies that defended and operated the ram. They seemed easy to beat and Terrador felt that something was wrong.

"It's too easy. These guys fall too quickly without putting much of a fight," Terrador muttered.

He heard something coming from the ram. When he turned his head around, the entire ram exploded and sent him flying backwards and fell onto the ground. The gates were blown wide open and the Jabberwocky soldiers rushed in like a tide. One of the soldiers stopped to look at Terrador.

"He's still alive. I think I'll skin him alive. I could use an Earth dragon's scales for armor," the Jabberwocky with a black helm said sadistically.

"Leave him be. He's not worth our time. The master wants Warfang under his control and set as his main headquarters. We must not fail him now," another Jabberwocky wearing a spiked helm said.

"Ah, you're such a killjoy. I was expecting a bit more fun," the first one said.

"You can toy around with him later. Right now, we have a city to conquer," the second one said and entered Warfang.

The Jabberwocky used a claw and sliced a wound on Terrador's cheek. The Earth Guardian merely growled in pain as the claw dug past his scales and into his flesh.

"You stay here. I'll be back for you."

Terrador did not intend on staying there. He got up to his feet but somehow, he was sapped of his strength to move and fight. Every time he got up from the ground, he would end up on the ground.

"Shoot, that bomb must be sapper bomb. I never thought that anyone would create it since its considered forbidden technology," Terrador thought as he watched the other Jabberwockies pass him by without even looking at him. "Spyro, wherever you are, you have to forgive us. If only you were here to help us."

* * *

Spyro felt a bad feeling inside of him but he wasn't quite sure of it. His dark side seemed to be chuckling quite gleefully ever since ten minutes ago.

"What are you up to?" Spyro asked telepathically.

"Me? I'm just sitting at the back of your mind, enjoying your flight while I listen to the radio," his dark side answered in a sinister way.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't really matter, Goody-Two-Shoes. Why don't you look in front of you before you get into trouble?"

Spyro didn't notice a tree in front of him until he flew into it. He fell to the ground with a loud thud and was unconscious. As time went by, Spyro did not stir and hungry creatures of the forest came out from their hiding places. They nearly had Spyro for a meal until a robed creature came out from behind some bushes and swung his torch around to scare the creatures away. He looked at Spyro and knelt down beside him.

"Hmm, golden horns and belly…purple scales…a slightly deranged look due to certain traumatic events that occurred…he has to be the one. I wonder what's he doing out here by himself without a proper guide," the creature said and took off his hood.

The creature, a gray lynx, took Spyro to his cave and examined his body carefully for wounds. Skillfully, he stitched up the wounds and applied some herbs on areas where broken bones were present before bandaging them up. While he was checking Spyro's heartbeat, Spyro woke up slowly.

"Where…am…I?" Spyro asked weakly.

"You should rest, Spyro, you've hurt yourself," the lynx said softly.

"Who are you?"

"You can call be Bane Kal. I live around here," Bane Kal said.

"Around where?"

Before Bane Kal could answer, Spyro passed out again. Bane Kal laid Spyro onto his bed and created a campfire in the middle of his cave to keep things warm. While he was looking outside, he was approached by someone else.

"I see that you've found Spyro," the stranger said in a feminine voice.

"It wasn't too hard but how did you know he'll show up at this kind of time?" Bane Kal asked.

"Well, you can call it a deep connection," the stranger replied with a chuckle.

Bane Kal turned to look and Spyro and back at the stranger again. "So, besides finding him in the middle of nowhere, you say that I'm to help him on a certain mission of his?"

"It's important that you keep him alive. If he fails, the world will be in danger and when that happens, you'll be a victim trampled on by the victors. The future is vague and the outcome of the war lies in the balance. Only Spyro can tip the scale of victory to our side."

Bane Kal was silent as he chewed on a grass stalk absentmindedly. He looked at the stranger warily. She had a soft glow about her and seemed to exude a certain aura of warmness. Bane Kal knew she wasn't normal.

"Huh, I'm talking to a spirit. Go figure," Bane Kal muttered. "You must be a forest spirit."

"Maybe I am…who knows…I have to go now. Be sure to take care of Spyro," the spirit said and disappeared.

Bane Kal sighed and looked at the evening sun, his eyes reflecting the sunlight. He wondered if he made the right decision to help in wars that weren't related to him.

**-To be continued-**

**A/N: **The gray lynx, Bane Kal, belongs to VXWolf. Keep the reviews coming and if you have anymore OCs you want to introduce, feel free to PM me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

**A/N:** I'm actually surprised and glad that many people like my story and I have to thank you all for your reviews. Rest assured that if your OC does not appear in this chapter, they will appear in subsequent chapters. I have room for three more OCs so if you have any other OCs, please feel free to PM to me. Charles the Dragon belongs to Charles Robert and Bane Kal belongs to VXWolf

* * *

Spyro woke up with a terrible headache and he was quick to notice that he was in a cave. He looked around slowly and saw someone sitting on a chair beside his bed, still asleep and snoring loudly.

"How did I get here?" Spyro asked himself.

Spyro tried flapping his wings but it felt stiff because of all the bandages. He tried to remove them but it was so tightly bound that Spyro couldn't remove them at all. He trashed around the bed, trying to tear of the bandages, until he fell onto Bane Kal.

"Huh…what?" Bane Kal muttered incoherently and looked at Spyro.

"Oh, sorry about that, I was trying to remove the bandage," Spyro said.

Bane Kal stared at Spyro's bandaged body and touched it with his claw. He looked thoughtfully at Spyro's wings and moved it a little.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Bane Kal asked.

Spyro looked at his wings and shook his head. "Not really."

Bane Kal twisted his wings softly and Spyro let out a cry of pain.

"You're still hurt," Bane Kal said flatly.

"It wouldn't hurt if it weren't for you," Spyro said defiantly.

Bane Kal laid Spyro on the bed and took a mortar and pestle to crush some strong-smelling herbs. He mixed the herb paste with some crushed crystals and removed the bandages from Spyro. Then, he proceeded to applying the paste onto Spyro's bruises after removing the layer of dried up herb paste he applied yesterday. It felt cold but refreshing at the same time and somehow, Spyro liked the sensation.

"Just rest for another two hours and you should be able to fly," Bane Kal said while wiping his paws.

"I don't have much time. I've wasted a day already and I can't afford to waste more time. I'm walking to Mount Grendor if I can't fly," Spyro said defiantly.

Just when Spyro reached the cave entrance, Bane Kal said, "Walk all you want but it won't do you any good. The forest is a dangerous place for someone like you."

"I'm an adult, pussy cat. I can handle danger myself," Spyro snapped.

"The name's Bane Kal; not some random pussy cat and one more thing, you can never survive the forest alone. Not when you are lacking a guide to Mount Grendor," Bane Kal said while reaching for his sword.

He walked past Spyro and waited for him outside.

"As much as I despise helping others, my road to redemption and salvation lies with your survival. I have many reasons to live and to have that chance destroyed by darkness means that there is no point for me to fight on. If you insist on walking to Mount Grendor, I'm coming with you," Bane Kal said.

Spyro was taken aback by his offer but he kept quiet and came out from the cave. The two left without another word spoken. The forest paths were uneven and rocky and to make things worse, many dangerous exotic creatures that Spyro has never seen before inhabited in caves, behind bushes, under rocks and in the treetops. Like Bane Kal said, they were dangerous and many times Spyro had his rear covered by Bane Kal.

"Back at the cave, you said your redemption and salvation lies with my survival. What do you mean by that?" Spyro asked.

"My past is not something I'm proud of, Spyro. If you heard of The Grey Shadow, you'll know who it is," Bane Kal muttered as he looked around for any signs of enemies.

"I've never heard of anyone called The Grey Shadow. Is it you?"

"You can say that…and people always associate The Grey Shadow with countless of mutilated bodies carelessly cut up and disemboweled."

"You're a murderer?"

"It seems rather obvious to you, doesn't it? I kill because I worked for the wrong kind of people, loan sharks if you will. I'm their 'collector', going around collecting debts from unfortunate souls who loaned money from churls like them. My life was a mess back then and desperate for work, I worked for them. I only did what I was told and I killed those who couldn't pay up. When I finally had the last straw, I killed my own employees and fled into the wilderness where I lived a solitary life. I'm usually visited by a travelling dragon monk whom I gave a place to rest during one of his travels. I opened up my pain to him and he was very sympathetic. He taught me forgiveness and redemption and I find his teachings very meaningful. It gives me a reason to forgive myself and continue living." Bane Kal paused for a while before continuing. "He was a great dragon and I respected him but the hands of time took him from me. Fortunately, he left me many great books to read and meditate upon."

"So how does that relate to my survival?"

"I've found a reason to live and if evil takes the world from me, what I've learned over the years means nothing anymore and I wish not such a thing to happen."

Spyro nodded his head slowly.

"I'm also seeking forgiveness from the heavens…if it really exists like what the dragon monk said."

"That's nice," Spyro muttered.

Spyro remembered that he had a few questions to ask Bane Kal like how he knew where he was going and who he was. Spyro told him nothing yet this lynx seem to know everything.

"Hey, Bane Kal, how do you know who I am?" Spyro asked as they crossed a fjord.

"Isn't it obvious? You're the purple dragon I've seen so far and all the other dragons I've encountered are all of the same color representing the elements they master in. Besides, your name precedes you and I'm sure most of us heard of you or seen you," Bane Kal replied.

"Okay…so how do you know I'm headed for Mount Grendor?"

"Face it, this is the only traversable route to that accursed mountain. A few have trodden this path but none ever came back. I've seen entire armies vanish into the forest, never to reach their destination. You've not seen real terror yet, Spyro," Bane Kal muttered darkly.

Somehow, Spyro felt some fear stir within him and he heard a voice at the back of his head.

"Feeling scared are we? I'm not surprised since you've rarely been in places where real terror lurks. Have you not heard of the Horrors of the Valachian Path?" his dark side sneered.

"Could you stop bugging me? I'm trying to concentrate," Spyro said aloud.

Bane Kal turned his head to look at Spyro. "Who are you talking to?"

Spyro did not want to reveal his secret so he merely shook his head. As the two went deeper into the forest, Spyro felt like as if hundreds of eyes were watching him from the thick treetops and the darkness of the bushes. A few swords and spears, all of them decades old, lay on the ground and some got stuck in the trees.

"We can cover more ground if we make haste. The Silver Horn River runs through the northern part of the forest. If we can find it, it will lead us to Mount Grendor. Have you got a map?" Bane Kal asked.

"I think I have it with me."

Spyro checked for the map the Councilors gave him but when he could not find it, he took a gulp of saliva.

"Um…I just remembered. The map was left behind in your cave," Spyro muttered.

Bane Kal sighed and rubbed his furry chin thoughtfully. He spotted a dead tree tall enough to penetrate the treetop layer so he grabbed onto the tree trunk and climbed it.

"Where're you going?"

"I'm going to see if I can spot the river from up there. At least it will give us an idea on where to go. You stay here and don't go anywhere without me."

While Bane Kal looked around, Spyro thought he saw himself coming out from the darkness of the forest. He looked exactly like Spyro except his eyes were white and his scales were nearly black.

"I haven't seen you in person since two years ago," Spyro growled.

"You must've missed me, purple boy. It was boring seeing you do all the work and all. Now that we're alone, I think we can have a chat," Dark Spyro said with a malicious grin.

"If you're trying to persuade me to join the darkness, forget it. I have Dark-O-Phobia," Spyro said.

"The correct term for that is nyctophobia (fear of the dark) and it has nothing to do with joining the dark side. No matter how much you deny darkness, it will consume you and I'm the very testament of that undeniable fate. No one is born pure in this world, Spyro, not even babies. What keeps the balance of this world is that everyone has a little bit of darkness in them. Some are like the titans of darkness where hatred and malevolence dominates their soul. You are no exception and thanks to your entry into the Veil Beam during the Eternal Night Incident, you gave me a will and every time you unleash me, I have a slow but steady grip over your mind…body…and even soul. The only thing that is keeping me back is your sheer willpower and your Goody-Two-Shoes attitude. It sickens me," Dark Spyro spat.

Even if he is just an apparition, his dark side knows how to threaten and Spyro was never safe from him. He couldn't attack him and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"I am no evil warmonger like Malefor. If I was really born with more darkness in me compared to other creatures, I would've joined Malefor decades ago," Spyro replied.

"And you could have if it weren't for those meddling Dragon Elders. Should that incompetent Gaul reacted faster, he could've taken your egg and train you to join the dark side from young. As for Cynder…let's just say she'll be nothing egg yolk on the ground."

"Don't you dare talk about Cynder like that! She has suffered because of you controlling my actions!"

"She suffered because I revealed your inner self to her! You suffer because she suffered and you're angry with yourself! You gave me power and Malefor provides me with the will I desperately need to take over your pitiful body and make you into what you truly are! I won't be long now, Spyro. The forces of light grow weaker by the hour and every step you take to prevent the rise of darkness is nothing but peanuts. You're delaying the inevitable and why waste your time when you can embrace it? You have an entire army waiting for your ascension and they are very eager to meet you. Rest assured that they will not kill you," Dark Spyro muttered in a dark manner.

"And do you think that'll make me happy?" Spyro asked angrily.

"There is no happiness in darkness, Spyro. That I admit. However, why be happy with only what love and light can give you when you can have total loyalty from your fellow subjects and the power of a thousand dragons that flows through your body? Give the feeling of satisfaction a thought and perhaps consider the opportunity you have to command and control an entire planet," Dark Spyro said and disappeared into the darkness.

At the same time, Bane Kal slid down from the tree and looked at Spyro. "Spyro, the river is not far from here. Let's get going."

When he noticed Spyro wasn't responding, he tried to tap Spyro's wing but he got pounced on by Spyro. Bane Kal saw that Spyro's eyes were glowing white but it returned to normal when Spyro blinked.

"Oh no, don't tell me I just tried to kill you," Spyro said in horror.

"As a matter of fact, lizard, you just did. What's the matter with you? Are you possessed by a ghost or something?" Bane Kal asked while getting up from the ground.

"It's nothing…just stay away from me. I'll be on my way," Spyro said.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere without me. I made a promise to help guide you to Mount Grendor and I intend to honor that promise. I will not take no for an answer," Bane Kal remarked firmly.

"Who did you promise this to? You and I are strangers. I've never seen you before and you talk like as if I've known you for a long time," Spyro shot back.

Bane Kal opened his mouth but no words came out from it. His shoulders dropped and he sighed softly.

"I don't know if you will believe me or not but I've been visited by a spirit and she assured me salvation and redemption in return for me helping you and keeping you safe. She was…so kind…and convincing. I felt like she's an angel or something and I was desperately in need of peace. I wasn't able to attain peace, not with all the guilt that resides in my heart and I feel I need to do something to redeem myself," Bane Kal explained.

"Getting a little desperate eh," Spyro sneered.

Bane Kal scowled at Spyro. Something did not seem right about him. His tone of speech seemed more malevolent compared to his way of speaking a few minutes ago.

"I'm starting to wonder if you are really possessed. You're really giving me the creeps," Bane Kal muttered and led the way.

Spyro shook his head and tried to bang it against a tree but something stopped him from doing so. Spyro quickly followed Bane Kal and the two continued on their journey.

* * *

"What? Are you sure?" Aeron exclaimed when he heard Tassaris mentioning about the attack on Warfang.

"It's no mistake, Your Eminence. I have received word from our spies that Warfang has indeed fallen into enemy hands. The population of Warfang was murdered and many did not make it out alive," Tassaris said with a slight quiver in his voice.

"And…what of the Guardians?"

"There is no news concerning Volteer and Cyril but Terrador was spotted outside of the city, badly hurt but was rescued by a group of fleeing moles and cheetahs. A handful of survivors manage to escape and Hunter is one of them," Tassaris answered.

Aeron felt his left paw tremble. His worst fears came true and it was evident that they were running out of time. The hall was abuzz with murmurs and whispers and looks of fear were present in everyone's face.

"I was afraid that this would happen. It seems like my hunch was correct," Frost said.

"No…this can't be. It's too soon. We need ways to bide our time," Aeron said.

"What ways do we have, Aeron? We're out of options and with Warfang gone, we have just lost a strategic position to launch a preemptive attack. If Malefor's forces were to attack Mon Tiara, we're right in front of them. The only thing separating Mon Tiara from Warfang is one little forest," Ferrus remarked.

"And what do you suggest? We can't relocate now," said Aqua.

"A few destroyed relics are nothing compared to the lives of thousands. We're not safe here," Melkor added.

"Are you questioning the divine protection that the Ancestors placed? The Jabberwockies can't fly to such altitudes and for them to find the entrance to Mon Tiara will be like searching a needle in a haystack. The Mines of Luzon is a labyrinth and only we know our way; not the outsiders. We'll be safe," Inferno said.

"I doubt it. Even if the Jabberwockies can't fly to this altitude, that doesn't mean others won't come. The divine protection is strong but what if a powerful enemy mage comes along?" Frost asked.

"It'll take more than one powerful mage to break the protection. I'm confident that Mon Tiara will not suffer Warfang's fate," Aqua replied.

As the Councilors argued, Aeron looked at Ivan for some suggestions. As if the rodent could read his mind, Ivan said, "I suggest we stay. We have to stand our ground and rally the survivors of Warfang. Bring them to Mon Tiara."

Aeron stopped the Councilors from arguing and it took quite some effort before everyone could calm down. When everyone did, the light blue dragon cleared his throat.

"Ahem, let us vote for an answer if we can agree on a common answer. You know the rules: majority wins and no questions asked," Aeron said seriously. "Now, we have two decisions to make. The first decision is that we bring in the survivors of Warfang and stand our ground. The second is that we leave Mon Tiara in search of a better hideout. What say you?"

"Those in favor with the first decision raise your right paw," Ivan said.

Four Councilors raised their right paw including Aeron. There were looks of dissatisfaction on Frost, Melkor and Ferrus's faces but they knew that if most of them opted to stay, they will have to go with the decision as well.

"I'm in favor of the first decision if you want to know. I cannot think of any place safer than Mon Tiara. Besides, how do you know that they will attack Mon Tiara next?" Ivan asked the three Councilors who opted for the second option.

"Do we not have a policy that forbids too many outsiders entering Mon Tiara?" Ferrus asked.

"That we have but the survivors number only by six dozen and the policy specifies that not more than one hundred may enter Mon Tiara in one go. I see no problem with it," Aqua replied tersely.

"How can we be sure that there are no other survivors? Warfang has a population of three hundred thousand and doesn't it seem a bit wrong that only seventy two made it out alive?" Melkor asked Tassaris.

The blue dragon bowed his head in respect and said, "It's no mistake. The spies have confirmed the number but they are still observing Warfang to see if there are any more survivors. However, chances are low and I wouldn't put much hope in it."

"This isn't a murder anymore; it's a damn massacre," Melkor hissed.

"Spyro has to make haste and rescue Natasha. If we lose him or the intelligence gathered, we'll lose our only chance for a breakthrough," Blitz remarked.

"Aeron, I hope you made the right decision by sending one dragon to face an army with three times the combat experience. No one has ever breached timber wolf territory before. It'll be impossible," Frost added.

"Spyro faced Gaul's army single-handedly and along with Cynder, they defeated the greatest known evil. To many of us, it's an impossible task but to have them accomplish it means that it can be done. It has to be done," Aeron replied grimly.

Aeron turned his attention to Tassaris.

"Tassaris, you and Logan must search for the Warfang survivors. Bring them here and tell them that we're offering them refuge. The policy of only less than one hundred refugees allowed doesn't apply here since we're facing a crisis and if what you say is true, their numbers are also less than one hundred."

"As you wish, Your Eminence," Tassaris said with a bow and left the hall.

"And for the rest of us," he said while turning to the other Councilors. "We must prepare the villagers to fight in case anything goes wrong."

* * *

The Valachian Path that runs through Valachia Forest was as treacherous as ever. Giant insects, slimy creatures and even restless spirits and undead skeletons roamed the forest paths and the two were attacked multiple times. Spyro was nearly killed by undead sharpshooters wielding crossbows and long bows of a bygone era. Added to the danger of the forest were large chasms, death pits, explosive crates and Treerot Hives, parasitic hives that release poison into a tree and poisons the tree. Close contact proved fatal as Spyro witnessed small insects dying just by touching a tree with Treerot Hives.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said the Valachian Path was dangerous," Spyro muttered.

"I've been through here once and one time is enough for me. I have to face my fears though I feel that fear makes one a weakling. I was taught by my father that to be strong is to remove all fears. Apparently it's not an easy thing to do," Bane Kal said.

"What were you doing here back then? Why venture into some place so dangerous?" Spyro asked.

"I thought I'd explore further since I had some spare time. I did this without a map and I was lucky to get out alive after those damned skeletons nearly stuck a spear through my head. After meeting the dragon monk, I was given a map of the world. Even with a map, it's not specific as to show you the Valachian Path. In fact, if I can recall what my former employers say, there is no existing map that shows you the Valachian Path. Even if there are maps of the path in the ages of old, all of them must've rotted," Bane Kal said as he avoided an infected tree.

As they neared the Silver Horn River, the roar of the river was heard. A few wild animals were seen near the river, drinking from it. They ran away when they saw Spyro and Bane Kal emerge from the forest.

"I could see why they call it the Silver Horn River. It's so shiny that it looks almost like quicksilver," Spyro said. "It's not quicksilver…right?"

"No but the river does have some amazing properties. During the one time I ventured this far, I also thought that it was a river of quicksilver. The Silver Horn River is a rather short river and the source of the water flows from a mountain in the Valachian Forest called…Mount Vasanir," Bane Kal said thoughtfully.

He went towards the river, bent down and scooped some water in his paws before drinking it.

"Ah, I miss the taste of this river," he said with a slight smile.

"It has a taste?" Spyro asked with a raised eye ridge.

"Of course it does. It has a sweet aftertaste like…pure nectar. I dunno what makes it sweet but it's definitely safe to drink."

Spyro was feeling thirsty so he drank from the river. It did taste like pure nectar and it seem to give him extra energy to go for another one hundred miles.

"I really feel great!" Spyro exclaimed.

"Shh, not so loud. We don't want to attract unwanted attention," Bane Kal whispered while pointing at the opposite side of the river.

The forest at the other side was so thick that it seemed like no one has ever ventured there before. There were no bridges that led to the other side and no paths were present.

"What's at the other side?" Spyro whispered.

"I don't know but I have a rather bad feeling about it. Let's try not to make too much noise. Mount Grendor is downstream so we'll just follow the river flow. We'll be there in…one and a half days if we're quick."

"Then we must move fast. I don't have much time to waste."

* * *

Terrador's head was filled with buzzing noises as he woke up. He felt weak and tired but other than that, he felt fine. He was quick to realize that he was in the cheetah village where Chief Prowlus, now an old cheetah, was still doing his job by directing and instructing the other cheetahs to help take care of the survivors.

"Chief Prowlus," Terrador called out.

The cheetah chief turned around and smiled at Terrador.

"You're awake and you're damn lucky to be alive, Terrador," Prowlus said.

"How did I get here?"

"You can thank that red dragon over there," Prowlus said while gesturing towards a young red dragon with blue eyes and neat black hair. "He was the one that dragged you to safety….Charles was his name if I recalled properly."

"You mean that demi-dragon?"

"Is that what you call dragons that grow hair?" Prowlus said jokingly.

"Not all dragons are of the same genetic makeup," Terrador answered.

Chief Prowlus walked towards Terrador and sat down on a weathered barrel. It creaked as Prowlus put his full body weight on it.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news though. Not many survived the Jabberwocky massacre and only less than a hundred made it out of Warfang. As for Volteer and Cyril…we have not seen them nor have we heard from them. I want to believe that they're alive but…the situation seems rather doubtful," Prowlus said in a somber tone.

"Only less than a hundred out of three hundred thousand? I should've been there to help," Terrador said with gritted teeth.

"With all due respect, Terrador, it doesn't make any difference. The Jabberwockies outnumber the defenders and the battle was already lopsided. It's a surprise that none of the defenders fled even when facing such a threat they could not hope to defeat. So far, Warfang is the only city in the entire world that has been attacked. No other cities have been attacked…yet…so we may still have time to rally to the defense of other cities. What I worry is that they'll launch simultaneous attacks on multiple cities and if that happens, every city will suffer the fate of Warfang," Prowlus remarked.

"That depends if they have the manpower to outnumber the defenders. We've yet to know the strength of the enemy so we can't say for sure. By the gods I hope they're still lacking units," Terrador said.

"I hope that you're right about this, Terrador. I also hope you're prepared to fight again for I fear the enemy may try to eradicate everyone that fled from Warfang. If they find out that you all are here, we'll be in grave danger."

"We're outnumbered. For once in my entire life, I'm ashamed to say that we're not going to win in such situations. We need to rally more troops and defend every city. Those living in towns and villages should move to the city so that we don't have to spread our defense line too thin."

"Even as we speak, a congress is being held in the city of Zarathiel at the Azure Continent. The lords and ladies are forming an alliance to combat the dark forces. Since none of you guardians can show up due to the attack, I've sent a representative for Warfang to attend the congress."

Terrador looked around him and saw that only twenty dragons, including him, made it. The others were moles, cheetahs, rhinos and a couple of canine soldiers that arrived at the last minute from nearby Canisburg Town to aid the defenders. Many of them were wounded while some were in critical condition. The chief did not have enough buildings to accommodate all the survivors so they built crude tents and huts to shelter them. The smell of blood was thick and conditions were starting to become unsanitary.

"We're lacking doctors and surgeons. Those in critical condition may not make it through the night. I can cure wounds but I can't cure diseases and operate on patients. I've done what I can and the rest is up to the few doctors I have," Prowlus said sadly.

"I really appreciate your hospitality, Prowlus, but I think we better move once we're done taking care of the wounded. It would be wise to seek shelter in major cities," Terrador said.

"My thoughts exactly but we need time and supplies. We've been through worse situations before and I hope that we'll pull through this one as well," Prowlus said grimly.

**-To be continued-**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N**: There is a reference to another game if you read below.

The hands of darkness covered the land quicker than anyone that tried to outrun it. Spyro and Bane Kal had wasted precious time due to creatures popping out from the forest and attacking them. While the river water did provide them extra stamina, they wore out quickly because of numerous enemies attacking the duo. Drinking from the river did not help recover their stamina and Bane Kal said the effect only works once every one week. In the end, they had to rest for the night.

"There is a glade nearby. We can set up camp there and rest for the night," the lynx said.

Since they had no camping equipment, Bane Kal had to make do with what nature could provide. A small tree grew next to a large tree and Bane Kal bent the small tree and tied its tip with a rope he brought along. He tied the other end of the rope to the large tree and it held tightly.

"Now that we have a frame, we can use the sticks to create the wall. Spyro, go get me some long and thick sticks," Bane Kal said.

As the two constructed an improvised tent, Spyro felt like as if he was being watched. He looked around and scanned the dark surroundings but he could not see anything except small glows from fireflies. Then again, he felt that something familiar was nearby though he could not put his finger on it.

"Bane Kal, do you feel something?" Spyro asked.

Bane Kal stopped and looked around carefully before shaking his head. "I think you're tired. C'mon, shake a leg and give me a hand…or paw for your case."

The two leaned the sticks against the bent over tree and used rocks to prevent the sticks from sliding too much. It didn't look like a proper tent but it will have to do for now. Syro started a campfire while Bane Kal went to the river to catch some fish for dinner.

"Isn't it nice just to sit in the middle of a dangerous forest and enjoy the campfire?" Dark Spyro said as he materialized from the surrounding darkness.

"I did not invite you for camping, freak. Go away and leave me alone," Spyro groaned.

"Well, I don't need an invitation since I'm you. I must say that you've become more sociable and you even made friends with a criminal. I guess evil minds think alike," Dark Spyro said.

"Bane Kal's not evil…he's just lost and is seeking redemption."

"Once evil is always evil, Spyro. The deeds you do will go down in history and people will remember you by what you have done that made an impact on others. In other words, you were known for saving the world but Bane Kal is known for murdering people. If I were to guide you down the path of ruination and darkness, I feel that you can be in the same league with Bane Kal."

"You're an idiot. I wouldn't listen to you just like that. You're nothing but a persona of my darkness and while I have some fight in me left, I'll never let you control me."

"Oh, cocky little fellow aren't we?" Dark Spyro sneered. "Listen closely, Spyro, you may have some fight in you left but you know that you'll run out of it sooner or later. What will you do by then? Fall back to the recesses of the mind of your former body, watching helplessly as I do Malefor's bidding? You have nowhere to run, Spyro, I will control you. It's only a matter of time…"

Dark Spyro walked towards the campfire and looked at it. He seemed thoughtful and smiled evilly before using his paw to grab the fire.

"Look at this, isn't it a miracle?" Dark Spyro said while showing Spyro a dark fireball.

"Oh no…this isn't suppose to happen!"

"But it did happen, Spyro. For me to able to manipulate my surroundings means that I'm close to taking over your body. See, Spyro, what I said has proven to be true. However, I still have a long way to go before I'm in control. Nevertheless, the wait is worth everything Malefor stand for."

Spyro snapped back to reality and found himself holding a ball of dark flame. He quickly tossed the fireball into the campfire and the campfire burned with a dark tinge flame before returning to normal.

"No…this is really not good. I gotta control myself," Spyro muttered.

"Control what?"

Spyro turned around and saw Bane Kal walking towards him with a pack full of fishes. He placed the backpack on the ground and took some sharp sticks to skewer the fishes.

"So, what were you trying to control?" Bane Kal asked again.

"It's nothing…I was thinking we should've brought something for pest control. The insects around here are annoying," Spyro lied.

Bane Kal swatted a fly and nodded his head. "Well, I guess bug spray wasn't on our supply list."

As the fishes were being roasted over the fire, Bane Kal looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. Moments later, Spyro heard him snoring.

"That was quick," the purple dragon muttered.

As he watch the fishes cook, Spyro felt woozy and moments later, he fell into a deep sleep. The next thing he knew, Spyro found himself in a large gothic cathedral with elegant spires and a colorful stained glass window. The corridors were so huge that it could fit hundreds of adult dragons.

"Is this…a dream?" he wondered to himself.

The corridor he was in led to a central chamber where light shone down from a circular stain glass window onto an altar with something on it. Spyro examined the item and saw that it was a decaying gold chalice.

"I see you have finally found your mind's sanctuary," someone said from behind him.

Spyro's eyes widened. The voice was familiar, a voice he had not heard ever since he killed Cynder. He turned around and to his joy, he saw Ignitus.

"Ignitus, I'm so happy to see you!" Spyro exclaimed.

"Yes Spyro, I'm happy to see you too," Ignitus replied with a warm smile. "As much as I want to stay and chat, I'm here to address some important matters to you," he continued with a grim expression.

"Why can't you summon me to the Chronicler's chamber?" Spyro asked while eyeing the decaying chalice.

"That," Ignitus said and pointed at the chalice, "is the reason why. The chalice represents the purity of your soul. In normal circumstances, a soul should not be that decayed and to have more than twenty percent of it decayed means something is wrong. I could not summon you to my chamber due to the state of your soul."

"So…does that mean my soul is tainted beyond recognition?"

"No, your soul will still be yours as long as you have the will to fight back but how long can you hold is an entirely different question. The decaying gold chalice means your dark side is taking gradual control. We have to curb it."

Ignitus took out an amulet and gave it to Spyro. It looked like a simple gold amulet and did not look significant to Spyro.

"This is an amulet I've made. It can help weaken the control of your dark side but do remember that it needs constant energy to keep the effect working. Go, put it on."

Spyro obliged and slipped on the golden amulet. He waited for something to happen but nothing worth nothing occurred.

"That's it?" Spyro asked unexcitedly.

"You were expecting something spectacular, weren't you?" Ignitus asked with a smile. "Don't worry, rest assured that the amulet is now protecting you from your dark side. He may interact with you but he cannot do your soul further corruption…that is if you maintain your amulet once every full moon."

"Do I hold up the amulet and point it towards the moon?"

"Yes and remember to do that once every full moon. Once the amulet is fully charged, it will glow brightly."

Ignitus looked around with an alarmed look on his face. It was as if he felt something and Spyro thought he felt it too. It was ominous.

"This cathedral is the sanctuary of your soul but it does not mean it's invincible. There is a certain darkness that lurks the hall of your sanctuary and…it's very ominous. Spyro, whatever it is, your resolve must be greater than your enemy's determination. This may be your only chance to face down your dark side. Hunt it down and beat it back," Ignitus said and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Ignitus, wait a minute!" Spyro called out.

Suddenly, he felt a presence somewhere in the hall he was in. He looked up towards the second floor of wooden pews and saw his dark side looking down at him with white glowing eyes.

"Your dead mentor continues to help you, Spyro. Aren't you happy that he's such a nice guy?" Dark Spyro asked.

"Does it matter to you, prick?" Spyro growled.

"It does because his death gave me temporary control over you. Too bad that Cynder she-dragon has to get in the way by calling you back," Dark Spyro said and glided down from the second floor and landed in front of Spyro.

He tried to get near the chalice but he bumped into an invisible barrier instead. Dark Spyro looked at his counterpart and noticed the golden amulet he was wearing.

"It's funny that such a small thing can contain such powerful magic. Ignitus is really someone who deserves to be the Chronicler but I will get you when the amulet weakens. When it does, your soul will be mine," Dark Spyro remarked.

"Not if I power up the amulet first," Spyro countered.

Spyro was surprised to see his dark side laughing at him, as if he just said something stupid. His voice echoed through the halls.

"Do you seriously believe that every full moon is safe? Aren't you forgetting the Eternal Night?" Dark Spyro asked.

Spyro gasped a bit and remembered how he got his dark side. If the next Eternal Night alignment did happen and he absorb the rays, that would corrupt the amulet instead.

"I overestimated your intelligence, Spyro the Dragon. You should've known that doing that will cause untold damage and render the amulet useless. You have exactly ten more cycles of full moons before the Eternal Night comes again. By then if you try to recharge your amulet, you're dead meat," Dark Spyro continued. "In other words, you're still fighting a losing battle."

"Damn you, I really want to kill you right now," Spyro growled angrily.

"You can't kill a shadow," Dark Spyro said with an evil grin.

Dark Spyro began to transform into Spyro's worst nightmare and moments later, he found himself staring at Malefor.

"This is what I envisioned you to become, Spyro. Accept your fate," Malefor said.

"No…you're just an illusion," Spyro said while backing away.

"Care to reiterate what you just said?' Malefor asked and grabbed Spyro by the neck.

Malefor could easily lift him up with a single paw. His grip tightened around Spyro's neck and the purple dragon felt like he was going to die. His vision started to black out until a white blast hit Malefor in the face.

"Ahhh!" Malefor cried in pain.

He dropped Spyro to the ground and Spyro wheeled around to see his savior. What he saw was something he could not comprehend for the being had such a bright aura emitting from it that the body could not be seen except for a faint silhouette which looked like a young adult dragon.

"Away with you, scourge of darkness. Leave this tormented soul alone," the being said in a hollow female voice.

Malefor was visibly afraid but he looked at Spyro angrily. "You win this time but you won't be so lucky next time."

With that, Malefor dissipated into a veil of black mist. Spyro had to squint his eyes to look at the angelic being and no matter how much he tried to indentify who it was, it was impossible because the light was bright.

"Spyro, do not fret. I am the messenger of the dragon deities and I have come with an advice and some encouragement," the being said softly. "You are the balance of this world, Spyro, and your soul's condition will determine whether the world will fall into darkness or be saved. While you may be put to the test by your dark side, rest assured that you are not alone. I am your guardian, your shield and your fortress. I have been watching you ever since your self-exile and it saddens me to see you suffer needlessly but remember I will always help you and your dark side will never conquer you."

"Sounds rather doubtful…after all, my dark side has made sense…" Spyro muttered with uncertainty.

"Making sense that is only appealing to the dark side. While he may have you cornered, that does not mean you can't fight back. The Eternal Night is indeed coming in ten more full moon cycles but by that time, I will be there to help you and hopefully, you will know my identity by then. For now, do what you must and save Natasha. She's alive but in grave danger. Hurry," the being said and Spyro woke up suddenly from his dream.

"Bane Kal, wake up," Spyro said and shook Bane Kal from his sleep.

The lynx shook his head and opened his eyes slowly. "Spyro, what's the big idea waking me up in the middle of the night?"

"I'm sorry to wake you up but we have to go. You have to bring me to Mount Grendor now," Spyro said.

"Now? Spyro, we spent a day fighting and we've exhausted the extra energy in us. I can't really move right now," Bane Kal muttered.

"Bane Kal, this is important and if we don't hurry, the dragoness I'm going to save will die. If you're not going, I will so just point me the way."

"Fine, if you wanna go alone then go. Just follow the river and it'll bring you to Mount Grendor," Bane Kal said impatiently and went to sleep.

Spyro thanked him and took a few fried fishes before leaving into the darkness.

Ivan paced up and down the table as the Dragon Councilors looked at him with uncertain expression on their faces. Not long ago, they received a report saying that the Jabberwockies have left Warfang and were headed south.

"What are they up to?" Ivan asked the councilors. "They've wrecked Warfang and now, they're heading for the Hyperion Peaks. What is over there?"

"As far as I'm concerned, the city of Avanir is located there but to assault the Hyperion Peaks is nearly impossible. They have hidden watch towers and bobby traps hidden in the mountains and since not many Jabberwockies can fly, the ground forces will find it difficult to take the city. Only one road leads to the city gates and even the gates themselves are made of magic-infused carbon steel with double plating for extra strength. If the Jabberwockies are intending to take the city, they have to try very hard but they can always starve the citizens inside the city into submission," Aeron said.

"They must have an underground route in case the city falls," Aqua said.

"They do but I think it has long fallen into disuse since the city has survived on so many occasions that the kings and queens of the city thought they needed it no longer," Melkor muttered.

Ivan contemplated the thought and looked at the councilors. They knew what needs to be done but time is not on their side so far. The mouse looked grim.

"Aeron, who is your fastest scout?" Ivan asked.

"Aaron Hawk. He can fly from here to the Hyperion Peaks within two hours. I'll have him send our warning to the royal family of Avanir," Aeron said.

The midnight hour approached quite soon and after sending his messenger to inform the king and queen of Avanir about the impending invasion, Aeron retired to his study to read some books. He could not rest easy because he was wondering what Malefor's army would do next and how Spyro was faring. He was worried for that young dragon because the raw and unbridled power he possessed can not only save…but destroy as well. He could only hope and pray that Spyro could hold out against the dark powers that infested the lands.

He was about to light his pipe for a smoke when the door to his study opened. He quickly kept the pipe and pretended to read a book with interest.

"I saw what you're trying to do, Aeron, there's no point of hiding it," Aqua said softly and sat beside him.

"Yeah…well…it's a bad example for everyone if they saw me smoking," Aeron muttered shyly.

Aqua examined his expression and saw him look rather grim and down. Aeron looked like as if he already advanced one hundred years in age.

"Something is bothering you. You never smoke unless you're under pressure," Aqua said flatly.

Aeron paused for a few seconds and nodded his head before letting out a sigh. He took out his pipe and lit it. "You're right, Aqua, I am under pressure right now. As leader of the Dragon Council, I'm contemplating whether to call upon our forces in hiding or watch and see how situation unfolds itself. As of now, I'm leaning towards the former," he said grimly.

"But to call upon the Assai'rah is not very easy. It involves a lot of…rituals and appeasing of the spirits. They're no ordinary dragon warriors and you know it will cost you your life summoning them," Aqua remarked.

"I'm well aware of that, my dear, but duty comes before life and I cannot forget my sworn oath to the Ancestors lest a curse befalls me. I am bound to the Final Oath of Duty which is 'Duty before Comfort'. You must understand that if all goes wrong, I will be responsible for everything and also understand that we are the representatives of the pantheon of dragon deities," Aeron said while nibbling on the tip of his pipe.

Aqua smiled and leaned close to him. "Maybe that is why they chose you to be leader of the Council."

"To me…it's just nothing at all. I always felt like I was chosen by chance rather than by my abilities. We may have our burdens and compared to everyone else's, our burden is considerably heavier. However, this is nothing compared to the multiple burdens carried by the purple dragon. Long has he suffered darkness and loss and there are times when he just…felt like going back to the swamps and live his life with his adopted parents…never knowing who his true parents were." Aeron looked at his pipe and threw it aside carelessly. "Sometimes, I question why we even exist in this world at all when we are subjected to so much suffering."

Aqua looked at him with soulful eyes and she felt like sympathizing him but she knew that the last thing Aeron wanted from any of them was sympathy.

"Vektum sha'la zhahir…duty before comfort," Aeron muttered the Final Oath softly in Ancient Draconic.

***/

Volteer opened his eyes slowly and looked around him. He could not see a thing but he could feel restrained. The yellow dragon tried moving but he could not move and heard the rattling of chains.

"By the Ancestors, I must be in the dungeons," he exclaimed.

His suspicions were confirmed when three Jabberwockies with glow crystals approached his cell. It illuminated the dark dungeons and when Volteer looked to his right, he saw an unconscious Cyril chained to the wall like he was.

"Hey look, this one's awake," a Jabberwocky said to his companions when he noticed Volteer staring at them.

"For an old coot, this one sure recovers fast," another one said.

"But he's in no condition to be a vessel for the Demon Knight. The other one is in a better condition though," the third Jabberwocky said while gesturing at Cyril.

The two nodded their heads and opened the gate to Volteer and Cyril's cell. Volteer could only watch helplessly as the three approached Cyril and one of them took out a red crystal. He turned to Volteer.

"Did you know of a place called Sanctuary? Three Prime Evils existed there and they were held in crystals called the Soulstones. Here in Dragon Realms, the Ancestors have forged Soulstones of their own and called them Demonites. Like how Soulstones are created for a purpose, the Ancestors created Demonites to capture powerful demons. It will not last forever and soon, the demon held inside will be released. The demons of our realm cannot exist in the mortal world so they need a host body for their souls to take over. Your friend will have the honors of being the first host," the Jabberwocky said with a mocking smile.

"Don't you dare lay a claw on Cyril! You'll regret it if you do anything to him!" Volteer said angrily.

He shot a bolt of lightning at the nearest Jabberwocky and punched a hole in his armor.

"Restrain his mouth and make him watch his friend suffer," the Jabberwocky with a Demonite said.

The two other Jabberwockies held down Volteer but he struggled so hard that the two had a hard time keeping him down. The other one with the Demonite went close to Cyril and stabbed the crystal into Cyril's forehead. Cyril, still unconscious, only flinched in pain and fell silent.

"Now, time will tell when he will fail. Keep an eye out for your friend," the Jabberwocky said.

They left the cell and the two dragon guardians were left in the dark again.

"Who…who the hell was here? It feels like somebody's stabbing me in the head," Cyril muttered moments later.

"Cyril, thank goodness you're still okay," Volteer whispered. "Are you feeling anything?"

There was a moment of pause before Cyril spoke up. "I don't know. My head hurts and I feel something wet dripping from my forehead. I don't know about you…but…I'm hearing things," Cyril said.

Volteer listened to his surrounding and heard nothing but dripping water and the scampering of mice on the cobblestone floor.

"We need to get you out of here and fast. You're in danger right now," Volteer explained.

"How am I in danger, you twit? I seem to be stuck and there's no one in here. By the way, where are we?"

"I reckon that we're beneath Warfang in the prison dungeons…or maybe the sewers because it stinks down here."

"Even the dungeons stink so I guess we can't know for sure. It's so dark yet my eyes cannot adjust to it. The darkness is unnatural."

Volteer could only pray and hope that Cyril would be alright. If what the Jabberwocky said was true, they were in a lot of trouble.

-_To be continued_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Damn, it's cold out here," a timber wolf guard said.

"Cold is an understatement. This damn blizzard has been hitting us for three hours now and I can't see shit," another guard said.

Icicles formed on the watchtower's railings and it was too cold for them to grip with their bare paws. The stormy skies had turned day time into night and it was so dark that the guards needed to light up a lamp that hung from the ceiling.

"Living on mountains isn't a bad thing. That is until the storm arrives. How long do you think this will last?" the guard asked his companion.

He waited for an answer but none came. When he turned around, all he saw was his companion's weapons on the snow-covered floor.

"Jake? Where did you go?" the guard asked while looking down below the watchtower.

He saw footprints in the snow but it wasn't a wolf's footprints. He heard a creak come from behind him and turned his head around to look. Perched on top of the railing was a dragon with white glowing eyes and dark purple scales. It growled menacingly at him.

"By Xana's Sword!" the wolf exclaimed before he was slashed across the chest.

The wolf fell off the tower and landed on the snowy ground below with a loud splat. Spyro blinked his eyes twice and he returned to normal.

"I really shouldn't listen to your advice often. You'll take advantage of the situation and possess me," Spyro said.

"Nah, I'd rather be the backseat passenger for now. It's my duty to help you…at least until I decide when to take over," Dark Spyro said.

"You could've done so just now when I removed my amulet," Spyro remarked.

"True but like I said, I'd rather be the backseat passenger for now. My master plan has yet to unfold so there is no need for me to take over your body…yet," Dark Spyro said casually.

"Gee, what a comforting thought," Spyro said dryly. "But still, moving in darkness without being spotted is quite a good skill."

"You can thank me later, twerp. For now, go rescue whoever needs rescuing. I'll just retreat back into your mind and sleep there," Dark Spyro said.

Spyro descended the watchtower and looked for a path to the village elder's temple. He expected it to be in the main village at the base of the mountain but instead, he found the barracks and armory. Spyro overheard someone mentioning about the temple located on top of the mountain so he decided to check it out.

"Ok, Spyro, the only person who knows where Natasha is located is the village elder," Spyro said to himself and looked up. "Unfortunately, that prick chose to build his temple on top of this forsaken mountain."

Spyro was careful not to spread open his wings or he'll be blown away by the icy winds. The slopes were steep and the surface was hard to grip but Spyro was not giving up. He was given this task and he had to accomplish it, one way or another. It was getting darker as Spyro climbed higher. There were several watchtowers on located precariously on the jagged slopes but Spyro was amazed that it was so sturdy. He went to each tower and eliminated the guards in it.

"So far so good but it's getting too dark to see. The storm clouds are getting worse," Spyro muttered.

Suddenly, as if someone heard his mumbling, Spyro could see through the darkness. He heard a slight chuckle at the back of his mind.

"It seems like you can't do anything without me. I may not be able to interact with you fully but that doesn't mean I can't leak some of my abilities to you. I'll be Mister Nice Guy this time but once you reach the top of this mountain, you're on your own," Dark Spyro said.

"You know, I'm starting to doubt if you're really entirely evil," Spyro noted.

"Don't get your hopes to high, purple boy," Dark Spyro snapped.

The climb was an arduous one and Spyro felt every muscle strain as he struggled to climb the mountain. He had close encounters with death a few times when he lost his grip and encountered rockslides. Ice was building up on his wings and the extra weight made it more laborious for him to climb any further. He found another watchtower and cleared it of its occupants before resting in it. The watchtower did not provide much protection from the cold but it gave Spyro a place to rest though he was a bit doubtful that the tower could resist the wind without toppling over.

"I think I'll just stay here for a while…this cold is really making me feel tired…" Spyro mumbled as his eyelids felt heavy.

Spyro fell onto the wooden floor and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Terrador felt the pulse of a handicapped mole. It was irregular but Terrador could tell that he was going to live. He has been working around the clock lately to help look after the sick and wounded even though he was not a qualified doctor. He looked around him and noticed everyone had grim expressions.

"They've lost all but the look of melancholy. I do not understand why people should smile for only one decade only to lose it after that," Terrador said to Hunter.

"Life is not all peaceful, Terrador. You know that as well as anyone does but I do agree that the innocent do not deserve this," Hunter replied.

Hunter sat on a barrel and crossed his arms. Terrador could tell he was deep in thought even though Hunter's face was covered by a hood.

"What's on your mind?"

"I was thinking about Spyro. I've heard that he murdered Cynder and all but up until now, I refuse to believe he did it on purpose. There has to be an explanation for this."

Terrador's face drooped as he recalled the fateful night when the dragon elders saw Spyro carrying Cynder in his arms, dead and bleeding. Terrador wanted to believe that there was another explanation as well but he just couldn't fathom how it happened. Spyro would never kill someone he loved.

"Regretfully, Hunter, even I do not have the answer to this mystery. We did not have the chance to inquire about this because after Cyril accused Spyro of murder, he fled Warfang and was never seen again. No one knows if he is dead or alive," Terrador said sadly.

"What does your heart and instincts tell you, Terrador?" Hunter asked.

Terrador thought for a while and looked at Hunter with a gleam of hope in his eyes.

"If I were to speak frankly, I know that he's alive…somewhere out there. Spyro isn't a dragon that gives up easily and neither is he someone who would kill those he loves and cares for. We've been fools for thinking he's a murderer. I should not have backed Cyril up with my silence…I really didn't know what to say at that time," Terrador muttered.

Terrador looked away shamefully because he has never confessed his guilt to anyone in his entire life. He was well-known for being a tough and no-nonsense dragon but to show regret and sadness in front of someone else is downright humiliation. Hunter looked up at Terrador and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Look, we have our regrets and mistakes but we should not be ashamed of it. We're only mortals no matter how powerful one may be. The best we can do is to do something to compensate for our mistakes," Hunter said.

"And what do you suggest we do?" Terrador asked.

"There is nothing we can do for now. If you want to look for Spyro, I don't think that'll be feasible because he could be anywhere or in the worst case scenario, dead. It'll be finding a needle in a haystack and we cannot afford to lose any more people to the forces of darkness," Hunter said.

"The forces of darkness…I'm starting to wonder if Ignitus foresaw this all along. After the events of the Eternal Night, Ignitus frequented the Pool of Visions quite often. He said that he was disturbed by a dream. He could only describe to us that the dream felt like he was being overwhelmed by darkness so thick that it takes the life out of you. At first I thought he was talking about the rise of Malefor but he said it wasn't. All he said was that in Pool of Vision, it showed a vast army of fell creatures and demons storming the world. Ignitus said it was to happen in the near future," Terrador said grimly.

"And that "near future" happens to be now," Hunter added. "If it is true, I say that Ignitus's visions were right on target."

"Malefor must have foreseen his defeat in Spyro's hands so I bet this must be his backup plan…or true plan. The fell creatures were never this united and strong unless there's a powerful driving force behind them and I suspect Malefor is that driving force," Terrador said with narrow eyes.

"But isn't Malefor sealed away or something?" Hunter asked.

"Aye, that is true but he is a very powerful dragon and although he cannot physically exist in this world, his will continues to transmit his bidding and messages. It's just an assumption but it's a plausible one," Terrador explained. "Several dragon arcanists have tested this in the past by sealing themselves away in a separate dimension. It's hard but they have showed that it is possible to leave some sort of…"control device" behind in the physical world to connect the mind of the one being sealed away with the physical world."

"And that means that Malefor isn't truly vanquished and his will lives on. This is indeed grim news because we cannot destroy one's will with any physical or magical means," Hunter said.

"Malefor is full of tricks and I wouldn't be surprised if he cannot be vanquished that easily. I fear that he may already transcended into immortality given the time spent in the Well of Souls," Terrador growled.

"Okay, now that isn't very fair. I always thought he was this typical villain but who knew he was that devious," Hunter said.

"Well…I never said all that was true. They were only assumptions but they are plausible ones," Terrador corrected Hunter.

A scout interrupted their conversation and told them that there was trouble. The scout need not explain everything because his tattered armor and bruised body told everything.

"Jabberwockies…they're passing through the forest and they're headed this way!" the scout exclaimed.

"What? Are you sure?" Hunter asked aloud.

"Yes, they're headed this way and several of our scouts have been killed by them," the scout answered.

Terrador felt slight fear creep into his heart but he dismissed it and maintained a straight face.

"How big is their force?"

"About three hundred Jabberwockies, lightly armored and lightly armed."

That didn't make any sense. The Jabberwockies usually did things in excess and it was their habit to send thousands of soldiers to conquer even a tiny village. If they were to conquer the village, they would've brought more than three hundred soldiers. It could only mean that this is a scout group.

"Jabberwockies do not have much experience in jungle combat. Hunter, get your forces ready to combat the Jabberwockies. You can use the terrain to your advantage," Terrador said.

"You don't run the show, Terrador. This is my village," Chief Prowlus interrupted.

The old cheetah approached them with a small sack in his paw and it had a wick sticking out from the top.

"But I do agree that we need to push them back. Did you say that there were only three hundred Jabberwockies?" Chief Prowlus asked the battered scout.

"Yes sir," the scout answered.

"Then we shall give them a very warm welcome. Prepare the troops for guerilla combat. We're gonna blow the hell out of them," Prowlus said and tossed the sack up and down.

"With all due respect, Prowlus, are you fit for combat?" Terrador asked.

"I should be asking you that question, Terrador," Prowlus said. "I may have advanced ten years in my life but the fight in me remains as youthful as any young cheetah. I have yet to lose my combat abilities."

"The forest is full of booby traps we've set up and that should be more than enough to give those Jabberwockies a nasty surprise. Added to that we have found ways to develop gunpowder bombs and that will cause even more damage to them," Hunter added.

"You leave this to us, Terrador, we'll handle the Jabberwockies and we'll make sure none of them return to Warfang to warn the others about our presence. However, just in case we fail, I want you to muster every able fighter to combat the enemy," Prowlus said.

Prowlus mustered all cheetah fighters and after giving them pep talk, they set out into the forest and melted into the shadows of the night. Tearrador could only pray and hope for the best.

* * *

Marina sat in her room quietly, thinking about Spyro and his task. She pitied the purple dragon for not being able to live a peaceful life and she felt like comforting him when he gets back.

"I do hope Spyro is okay," she said with concern.

"Marina, it's time for dinner," her master called out.

"I'll be right down, sensei," she answered.

Marina looked at the night sky from her room and closed her eyes.

"Spyro, I can feel the darkness in your soul. Wherever you are, please understand that your soul is like a starry night. There is darkness but the stars are your true self, the light that will eventually guide your soul from damnation. Know that you will never be alone and each star is like someone that cares for you. Even in the darkest of night, a star will always shine," she said softly.

She finished the prayer with an Ancient Draconic chant before leaving her room. At the dining hall, an old dragon with torn wings was seated at the table. He was reading a scroll filled with words and when Marina entered, he put it down and kept the scroll in his pocket.

"You've been looking quite glum ever since Spyro left, Marina. Is something bothering you?" the old dragon asked.

"It's nothing, Sensei Lakharnos. I'm just…I'm just worried about Spyro. If what I heard about him is true, Spyro deserves more respite than any of us here," Marina said.

The old dragon nodded his head and patted Marina's head.

"Indeed he does. He has done many things for us and while he has played the hero, I feel that all he wants now is to go back to being a normal dragon. If situation allows it, I'm sure he'll go back to being the ignorant dragon he once was," Lakharnos said with a chuckle.

Marina looked at her master with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Will that ever happen?" she asked.

"That…I cannot tell. While I may be gifted with foresight, his future is not something I can discern. There are only three possibilities as far as I can tell. If he succeeds in saving the world without falling into darkness, he will return and continue living a life he sees fit. If he succumbs to his dark side, the world will die along with what little is left of his true self. If he dies during his quest, the world will suffer a slow and painful death in the hands of fell creatures," Lakharnos explained.

Marina thought about the second and third possibilities. If they really happened, whatever they have fought for, whatever the dragon pantheon of deities have fought for, were all for naught.

"Sensei, I want to help. Spyro has been all alone ever since Cynder is dead. I want to help him like how Cynder helped him in the past," Marina said with determination.

Lakharnos just looked at her with a curious expression.

"Marina, dear, are you sure that you're prepared to fight? You have only been trained in the art of healing and white magic and to go into combat without proper training is suicide. I understand that you pity Spyro and all but this is no reason for you to jump into combat," Lakharnos said.

"Sensei, you always told me that I can make my own decision and follow what my heart says. As of now, my heart says that Spyro needs my help. I may not be useful in close combat but I can use my magic to support him. It's the least I can do," Marina argued.

Lakharnos thought about it and nodded his head softly. "If it is really what your heart says, then I need you to do something as a preparation task. Recently, Warfang has fallen into enemy hands and the survivors are now taking refuge in the cheetah village. Many have suffered grievous injuries and many more are dying. Save the people there and return to Mon Tiara once you're done. Spyro should be back here by then and I shall convince the Council about your request."

After dinner, Marina went back to her room and lay on her bed. It was hard for her to fall asleep so she could only watch the swinging lantern that hung from the ceiling. It casted a light so dim that she could barely see her room.

"Spyro, whatever you do, don't die. I will be by your side," Marina muttered.

* * *

Spyro blinked slowly and looked around him. The storm was not weakening and the floor was now full of snow. Frost buildups were present on his wings and nostrils and his entire body was cover with white snow. He must have slept for some time now because the snow that accumulated on him was rather heavy. His concentration returned quickly when he heard groans of stress coming from the watchtower's legs.

"Oh shit," he said and quickly bailed out.

He almost lost his grip when he grabbed onto a smooth rock but his right paw caught a rough surface and he moved quickly to avoid slipping. The tower creaked and toppled over, sending the entire thing tumbling down the mountain.

"That was a close one. I better not sleep in there next time," Spyro said.

With some strength recovered, Spyro continued his climb to the mountain top. The air got thinner and Spyro found himself panting quite heavily. He was gasping for air but it felt like he was receiving air less than what he required. It puzzled him on how the timber wolves were able to operate in such environments and deal with the constant acrophobia. Spyro gritted his teeth and continued the grueling climb.

"You're doing quite well, Spyro. It seems like you've trained your body well," Dark Spyro said at the back of his mind.

"Go back to sleep, I don't need your compliments at this kind of time," Spyro said.

"What a snappy answer," Dark Spyro remarked. "You should be thankful that I played a role in helping you get this far."

"I'm thankful for the silence," Spyro muttered.

The storm seemed to cease when he neared the top and Spyro could see the midnight moon. Using dark vision powers given to him by his dark side, Spyro navigated his way through the darkness. One hour of climbing later, Spyro reached a flat plane with a building located at the other end.

"That has to be the elder's temple," Spyro said to himself.

He took on step forward and felt an overwhelming sense of darkness. It was so strong that it seems to stir his dark side.

"Ah, the ruinous powers are at work here. There is a strong one," Dark Spyro said with a delighted hiss.

"I don't like this one bit. It's making me feel weak and it gives me a sense of dread. I guess Aeron was right about the growing darkness," Spyro said while ignoring his dark side.

Spyro continued forward and remained hidden in the shadows while inching closer and closer to the temple. He noticed many bones littered outside of the temple and some looked like they were "used" before.

"Necromancers," Spyro hissed.

-_To be continued-_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

**A/N: **Glacius is property of Lumino Drago

* * *

Spyro took out a few guards quietly and dragged their bodies aside to avoid raising an alarm. The main door was locked and Spyro could not find any keys on the guards' bodies. Instead of bashing through the front door, Spyro decided to enter through the back door. On his way to the back, he took quick peeks into the windows but he could not see anything. The temple seemed empty and rundown. The purple dragon began to wonder if there was any elder at all.

"Bones littered in front of what is supposed to be a sacred place, well-lit inside but empty and rundown and an ever present sense of dread. This place doesn't seem like a place where an elder would sit in. This furthers my suspicion that necromancers are here," Spyro muttered.

He opened the back door as quietly as he could. A skeleton of a timber wolf fell onto him and Spyro gave a short yelp before scrambling away.

"Stick and stones broke not his bones but he is as dead as a dodo," Dark Spyro taunted.

"Look, be helpful or stay out of my way. I don't need you hindering my progress," Spyro growled.

"Spyro, don't tell me that you're scared by a pile of lifeless bones. Those things can't even hurt a fly," Dark Spyro sneered.

Spyro looked at the skeleton and shook his head.

"I doubt it. There is something at work here though I can't tell what it is," Spyro muttered.

He dug a hole in the ground nearby and buried the skeleton before entering the temple. Looking around carefully, Spyro tried to look for any signs of life or struggles. Each step he took sent dust swirling in the air and his nose itched from inhaling dust.

"How very odd. The timber wolves say that they have received orders from the elder seated in this temple but it seemed like this temple has not been occupied for a long time. Unless they're taking orders from a ghost, the timber wolves could not receive any orders at all," Spyro reasoned.

Suddenly, the lights went out and red glows from red lanterns that hung on the walls shone. Spyro could feel a surge of darkness that nearly overwhelmed him but he fought the feeling and maintained his bravery.

"You're on your own, buddy," Dark Spyro said.

Spyro heard clacking sounds coming from behind him. He knew something was there so instead of turning around to surprise himself, he did a spin attack and his tail lashed out against the thing behind him. He heard loud rattling noises followed by a thump.

"Okay, whatever you are, you…"

He stopped midsentence when he saw a skeleton on the floor. Standing on top of it was a ghostly blue figure holding a mace.

"You have my thanks, dragon, though I do not know how you got this far," the spirit said in a hollow voice.

"Um…you're welcome?" Spyro replied with uncertainty.

"I am not your enemy so you need not fear me. My name is Blackfang, guard captain of the temple…well, at least I was until I was cursed," the spirit said sadly.

"So…do you mind telling me what's going on?" Spyro asked. "I'm looking for your elder but it occurred to me that this place has not been occupied for a long time."

"Elder Annorak is dead for ten years already. Reality does not betray your eyes and this place has indeed fallen into disuse. This is all because of that accursed black phoenix Helsa Blackwing," Blackfang said with an angry growl.

Spyro raised an eyebrow. "Phoenixes are regarded as holy creatures that help govern this world. How can one be so evil?"

"Not everyone is pure, dragon. The Dark Master is a good example of that and I understand that dragons undertake the same role as phoenixes yet evil still exists within the hearts of those who are considered pure. The phoenixes are indeed advocates of good and justice but like all good things, there is always the polar opposite," Blackfang said.

"So what about this Helsa Blackwing? What did she do?"

"Elder Annorak fell sick ten years ago but no one in our village could cure him. We sought for the best doctors in the Icewind Plateau region but no one could treat Elder Annorak's sickness. Our troubles started when Helsa Blackwing introduced her services to Elder Annorak. She claimed that she could cure his sickness. I don't know what sort of sorcery this is but after she cured him, Elder Annorak became very close with her."

Spyro could sense anger rising in the former guard captain's voice. The ghostly blue aura that surrounded his spirit form seems to change into light red.

"That slut of phoenix, I always wanted to bludgeon her with my mace but she was always with Elder Annorak. I never trusted Helsa ever since I first saw her. I'm not spiritually sensitive but I could tell that there was something about her that I don't like," Blackfang continued.

"So what about Elder Annorak and Helsa? Do you think she put a spell on him?" Spyro asked.

"That was my hypothesis but I wasn't too sure about it. Elder Annorak always seemed normal even when he is near her. However, I once caught them in bed together and I heard her chant something…something that sounded evil to one's ears. It may have been a hypnosis spell…or something worse. Helsa eventually became Elder Annorak's chief advisor and under her "recommendation", many loyal ministers were dismissed and many more warriors who were suspicious her were found dead."

"So why aren't you dead? Wait…that didn't sound right."

"I wasn't killed by any of the guards under her command because Elder Annorak said so. He is still the chief after all and to go against his orders will make others suspicious of her. She has been very successful with her deceitful and dark ways. She has seduced and bedded many ministers into doing her bidding while giving seemingly good reasons to Elder Annorak on why the ministers acted in certain ways. I know she plotted against me…I followed her one night into the valley behind the temple and my intention was to kill her quietly and end this madness. She…she knew…she turned and I felt unable to hit her…she…she kissed me and…no…this is too humiliating. My desires brought about my downfall. Helsa stabbed me in the chest and killed me on the spot. I'm not sure what she did to me but I could never cross over to paradise. I'm bound to this plane of existence, acting as her pawn…until you released me from my bony prison."

Blackfang dropped onto his knees and bowed before Spyro. The purple dragon was taken aback by his gesture.

"Please, dragon, even after my body has been destroyed, I cannot attain peace like all other souls trapped by her. Do us a favor and destroy her for us. I know why you're here and only we can help you. The door to the prison is sealed by a spirit door and nothing can pass through it. We can break it for you only if you can release fifteen souls," Blackfang said.

"Well…if that is what it takes, I'll help," Spyro said with a nod.

"Blessed are you, young dragon, your deeds will be awarded. You have my eternal thanks. I shall return once Helsa is destroyed," Blackfang said and disappeared.

Spyro looked at the stairs that led to the second floor and took a big gulp of saliva, wondering what was up there waiting for him.

* * *

Volteer felt rather uneasy because after being so long in the darkness, his eyes should be used to it and he should be able to see his surroundings vaguely but this was not the case. He still could not see a thing as if he had just entered a dark room.

"Cyril, are you awake?" Volteer whispered quickly.

"Don't bother me," Cyril muttered.

"I just wanna make sure that you're okay…you know...now that there's something stuck to your forehead," Volteer said.

There was a pause from Cyril for a few seconds before he said: "What thing?"

"Well…it's sort of like a crystal or something," Volteer answered.

"Why would they stick a crystal to my forehead? That's just plain absurd," Cyril scoffed. "But then again, now that you mentioned it, it does feel like my forehead is hurting."

"_He's still normal so far but how long will his willpower last before the demon takes over his body?" _Volteer wondered.

Volteer's tail touched something soft beside him and it felt like hay. Turning his head to the left and hoping he hit the right target instead of his tail, he zapped the hay pile with his lightning breath and set it on fire. There wasn't much hay so he had to make everything count before the fires die down. The lightning guardian moved the hay pile to an empty space between him and Cyril so he could take a good look at Cyril.

"Oh my, you look terrible," Volteer noted when he saw Cyril's bloody face.

"I appreciate your compliment, blabbermouth, but now is not the time to talk about my looks. If I can freeze these chains holding us, hopefully becomes fragile enough, you can break them with your lightning breath," Cyril said.

The plan worked and the two broke free from their chains. The cell door was rather weak and two bashes from Cyril were enough to bring it down, squashing a guard as a result.

"Check his body for anything valuable," Cyril said.

Volteer found several keys and a glow stone and took them. With the help from the glow stone, the two searched the whole place for an exit.

"They've put us in a sewer. How original," Cyril said sarcastically. "That explains the strong smell."

"It's hard to see even with this glow stone. I can barely see things two feet away from me," Volteer added.

"This darkness must be a spell. There is no way that one cannot adjust to the darkness surrounding him. Gimme that glow stone, I'm going to try and see if we can dispel the darkness with it," Cyril said and took the glow stone.

He muttered something quietly and seconds later, the stone glowed brightly and illuminated the entire area.

"How did you do that?" asked a puzzled Volteer.

"I…I don't know…a thought just came to me like that," Cyril answered with equal puzzlement.

Volteer raised an eye ridge with suspicion. He wondered if it was the demon doing it because there is no way Cyril could've known what to do despite being intellectual. Besides, the books they read rarely mentioned about these mysterious stones. The lightning dragon made a mental note to seek help before it's too late.

"Volteer, what is this?" Cyril asked while touching his forehead.

"It's the crystal I mentioned to you about earlier," Volteer said.

Cyril picked up a dirty silver plate and looked at his reflection. Needless to say, he was shocked and he dropped the plate, shattering it when it hit the grimy cobblestone floor.

"Who did this to me?" Cyril asked angrily.

Volteer narrated to him what happened and how it got there. Cyril just listened quietly and after his companion finished talking, the icy blue dragon nodded his head slowly.

"They called this a demonite and you say that a demon is sealed in it and if I don't seek help, it'll take over my body," Cyril repeated.

"Aye, that's the problem," Volteer said. _"And I fear that the possession is already in motion because you were never this irate before," _he thought.

"We must seek help immediately. Listen, we must head for the Icewind Plateau region. I know a few demon casters who may be able to help," Cyril said.

"That region is big, Cyril. Which part of the Icewind Plateau are we going?"

"The Icewind Ridge. There is a village called Snow's Reach which is located in a valley. When I was young, I used to live there before coming to Warfang to study."

"Sounds like a nice place."

"It is. Not many know about its existence but the people there are always eager to welcome outsiders. I hope they still remember me," Cyril said with a smile.

The two suddenly remembered that they were still in the sewers and they were not out of danger yet. Quickly and quietly, they sneaked past guards and searched every corner for an exit that leads out of the sewers. Too many exits they encountered led into Warfang and that was the last place they wanted to be in. After half an hour, guard patrols in the sewers seemed more frequent and almost everywhere they went to, they could find guards patrolling the area. Luckily for the two, they found a sewer exit that led to the Lesser Tigon River, a river that branched away from the Silver River.

"We've been lucky so far. If we follow the Lesser Tigon River and head north, it should lead us to Wyvern's Way and from there, we can continue our journey to Icewind Ridge," Cyril said when they got out.

"I thought Wyvern's Way was burnt to the ground five hundred years ago during the Xentia-Archon Wars and was never rebuilt," Volteer said.

"True but the original settler's have moved to a new site to rebuild their village. Anyway, we better go. I think I'm starting to feel the effects…" Cyril muttered while clutching his head.

"I think it has already started," Volteer muttered.

* * *

The last Jabberwocky fell to the ground with an arrow stuck to the back of his skull. Seconds later, Hunter dropped from the trees and landed next to the dead Jabberwocky.

"That's the last of them. Check the rest and see if they're dead," Hunter ordered.

The cheetah warriors checked each body and stabbed each one in the head with their swords to make sure that they were dead. They could not afford them returning back to Warfang and alerting the others.

"It seems like all of them are dead," one cheetah reported back.

"Good job, people, we may have just saved not only our village but the place that they were about to spy on as well. Are there any casualties on our side?" Chief Prowlus asked.

"We have lost three warriors and nine others injured. Other than a few grazes and bruise marks, the rest of us are fine," Hunter answered.

"The dead will be mourned for but now we have to return to the village. Leave the bodies here and let the carrion birds deal with them," Chief Prowlus said.

"Wait, wouldn't someone find out?" Hunter asked.

"Let this be a clear message to them. If they mess with us, they mess with the best. Salvage anything useful for our purposes, we may need them in combat in the future," Prowlus said.

Hunter nodded his head and commanded the other cheetahs to salvage weapons and armor parts for future use. Just as they came as quickly, the cheetahs left in the same manner and disappeared into the shadows. What they failed to notice was the rapid decomposition of flesh and scales of the dead bodies and moments later, they rose from the dead as revenant soldiers. They have lost all their memories and all thoughts were replaced by an instinct to kill.

"Chief Prowlus, something is wrong…" Hunter muttered.

"Tell me when we get back to the village," Prowlus said in an instant.

"Chief, I really need to have your attention," Hunter insisted. I know I'm not spiritually sensitive and all that but I can't help but feel that we're being followed."

"That's impossible. We're moving at such speeds that not even a dragon can catch up with us. You must be having some paranoia," Prowlus remarked.

Hunter wasn't convinced but he did not argue with Prowlus. He turned his head to look behind for a few seconds before looking in front again.

"I hope you're right because I have a nagging feeling that we may not be out of trouble yet," Hunter muttered.

* * *

Spyro backed away as a skeleton guard took three swipes of the sword at him. One swipe made a scar across his face but Spyro shrugged off the pain and retaliated by bashing the skeleton guard in the bony head.

"C'mon, gimme your best shot," Spyro said in a challenging tone.

The guard screeched and ran towards him with its sword raised up. Before it could slash at Spyro, the purple dragon tripped it with his tail and bones scattered everywhere after the guard hit the floor.

"That was simple," Spyro smirked.

He noticed a scroll roll out from the ribcage and stopped at his feet. Spyro picked it up and examined it.

"A town scroll. So that is how they travel from the village to here in such short notice. I could use one of these," Spyro said.

It has been a long time since Spyro fought a hoard of enemies and fighting the skeleton guards was a good workout for him. If he hadn't known better, his dark side seemed to enjoy it as well. Spyro was on a killing spree until he reached a locked door on the topmost floor of the temple.

"_That's not stopping me," _he thought.

He decided to ram the door down with a head slam but he fell to the floor instead when the doors swung open by its own.

"Damn, if Sparx saw me do that, he'll crack a joke," Spyro muttered while rubbing his nose.

"Even I'll crack a joke, dragon."

The dark room lit up and soon, it became as bright as daylight. In the middle of the room was a throne and a skeleton holding a staff was seated on it. There was no life in it but Spyro thought he saw something behind the throne. Out came a black phoenix with scanty clothing and when she flapped her wings slightly, Spyro felt cold air blasting at his face.

"So, the savior of the realm has returned. Did you not know that the Icewind Plateau is no place for a young dragon like you?" the phoenix asked in a seductive voice.

"I'm old enough to take care of myself," Spyro growled. "I assume you must be the one behind all this, am I not right, Helsa Blackwing?"

"Pretty impressive, don't you think? Even the most powerful of kings and emperors can become a pawn to a practitioner of necromancy. Look at how Convexity makes us all strong," Helsa said while stroking the skeleton's head.

"You're a disgusting freak," Spyro said flatly.

"Yeah, necromancy and working with dead bodies can make the normal mortal squeamish. I don't blame you, Spyro. If you have practiced necromancy, you can feel that there is more to life than getting stronger in a conventional sense," Helsa said, ignoring Spyro's insult.

Helsa removed the skeleton from the throne and sat on it. Out of nowhere, she conjured a jeweled chalice with the shape of a skull.

"Annorak has served his purpose well and because of him, the Dark Master has gained additional advantages. Now that he has fulfilled his purpose, I have no use for him. He never saw it coming," Helsa said and sipped something from the chalice.

Spyro saw some of it spill from the chalice and flowed to her chest. It looked like blood and his suspicions were confirmed when he caught a sickening whiff.

"Blood is the essence of life and sacrifices are never complete without it. Some say that the stronger the individual, the more potent the blood is. I say it is hogwash but it is true that if the individual has a…immortal being inside him or her, the blood will indeed be more potent," Helsa continued and threw the chalice onto the skeleton she just removed from the throne.

The chalice shattered, spilling blood onto the skeleton. Spyro watched n horror as he saw the skeleton reassemble itself and summoned a great sword and a tower shield. Fire billowed from its nose and mouth.

"Dragon blood is a powerful thing and you all are blessed with partial immortality, thus making dragon blood useful for ceremonies," Helsa explained.

"Wait, where did you get that blood?" Spyro asked with narrow eyes.

"Isn't it obvious, Spyro? You know why you're here and your objective provided me with the most useful things. I've tried so long and hard to acquire dragon blood but you dragons are too stubborn. I would've drained you of your blood but since I'm under orders not to hurt you, I'll go for the next best thing instead."

"What have you done to Natasha?"

Helsa only smiled and commanded the skeleton warrior to attack Spyro. It moved fast and Spyro barely had time to dodge the sword swings. A kick from the undead sent him flying across the room and knocked over a table.

"Whoa, this guy packs a punch," Spyro muttered in pain.

He couldn't get close because every time he did that and attacked, the warrior would just bring up its shield and guarded against his attacks. The shield could only protect against limited number of attacks and Spyro knew that. He attacked relentlessly, hoping to break the shield and catch the undead off guard. Suddenly, he was knocked back again when the warrior bashed him with the shield.

"Damn…"

"C'mon, wuss, stand up and fight," Dark Spyro sneered.

"Why don't you come do it?" Spyro asked while dodging the skeleton warrior's charge.

"Because you're not letting me use you," Dark Spyro said casually.

Spyro rolled left and right as the warrior attempted to bring its sword down on Spyro. The purple dragon did not anticipate the next move when instead of trying to smash Spyro, the warrior slammed the ground and released a shockwave that severely injured Spyro.

"C'mon, I can take this fool."

"No, you're not meddling in this."

Spyro did not see the sword come at him and he was slashed at the chest. The string that held the amulet he wore snapped and fell to the ground. Spyro saw his vision blur and fell to the ground.

"You fool, you killed him!" Helsa bellowed angrily.

She stopped ranting when she noticed Spyro getting up slowly and when his head looked up, Helsa could see Spyro's eyes were glowing red instead and gave a sadistic grin.

"You're a failure, Helsa Firewing, and the Dark Master will not tolerate failures," Spyro said in a hollow voice.

"You're not Spyro," Helsa pointed out.

"I'm not but I really don't like the way you think you're all good and pretty. Get a life, Helsa, provided I let you live that is," Dark Spyro said and lurched at the black phoenix and her minion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Spyro's spirit travelled to what dragons called paradise and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a garden of flowers and beautiful white marble pagodas and pavilions. It seemed so real that Spyro could reach his paw out and touch the flowers.

"If I'm dead, I want to stay that way," Spyro muttered.

He suddenly had an idea to confirm that he was really in paradise. If he's really in paradise, he should be able to see Cynder. That thought made him smile and gave him hope. He looked around the place and noticed many dragons, young and old, enjoying and having good laughs. Spyro wanted to join in but he felt…isolated.

"Spyro, what a pleasant surprise," someone called out.

Spyro turned around and saw a large dragon staring down at him with a warm smile. By the way he spoke and the aura that emitted from him, Spyro could tell that he was a dragon god…even though he never seen one before.

"Um, hi, I hope you don't mind but have you seen Cynder?"

"Cynder…oh, you mean the black dragoness Cynder with a blade-like tail yes?"

"That's her!" Spyro exclaimed happily. "Where is she? Can I see her?"

"Unfortunately, Spyro, it is not your time to enter paradise just yet. The world still needs you," the dragon god said sadly.

"But I don't want to go back. I want to be free from the bondage of duty and the world. I'm sick of being alone and…and I miss Cynder. I barely had the chance to share my life with her. We even planned on starting a family but fate…fate is so cruel," Spyro said with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Spyro, please…"

"Could I not rest in peace for once? This is my chance to enjoy paradise forever!"

"Spyro…"

"Is it so hard to approve that?"

"Spyro, would you please listen?" the dragon god said loudly.

Spyro fell silent and stared at the dragon god with teary eyes. The dragon god was sympathetic and his face softened after a few seconds.

"Spyro, I know how you feel. Life is indeed full of negatives but why do you fail to see the positive side of it? You have been given refuge by our representatives in the mortal world and many still put their hopes in you. Don't you see, you're not an ordinary hero and by the blessings of the dragon deities, you were given powers no other dragons have. We gave Malefor the same powers but unlike you, he chose the path of damnation. He is strong and only you can stop him. If you give up now, the world you cherished will perish. Is that what you wish?"

"Let it burn for all I care. No one trusts me anymore after I killed Cynder."

"It wasn't your fault, Spyro. Cynder always told me that how much she missed you and how it pains her to see you suffer. Many nights, I've seen her cry and truly I tell you, no amount of happiness in paradise can cheer her up."

"Then why wouldn't you let me unite with her?"

"Like I said, Spyro, your time isn't up yet. Cynder knows you have a duty and she is willing to wait for your return to paradise. She insisted that you finish the job before returning to paradise."

Spyro's eyes opened wide.

"You're saying I'm gonna die?" he asked.

"That, Spyro, is not for me to tell you. By my blessings, Spyro, return to the realms and finish the fight. The lives of many now depend on your will…as well as your courage," the dragon god said warmly.

Spyro began to fade and before he faded completely, he managed to ask the dragon god a question.

"What is your name?"

The dragon god smiled and said: "I am Glacius. Remember that because we will meet again."

Dark Spyro had beaten the skeleton warrior and was about to attack Helsa when Spyro returned to his body and took control again. His wounds had healed and Spyro felt fresh. Could it be the effects of paradise?

"I'll take it from here," Spyro said to his dark side.

"So you're not dead after all. You continue to amaze me, Spyro. That slash was a fatal blow and your dark side certainly had some fun. Now that he's gone, I can capture you easily," Helsa said.

"Not a chance," Spyro said.

_-To be continued-_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Spyro and Helsa dashed at each other, attempting to knock each other off balance. For a phoenix that looked weak, Helsa was surprisingly efficient in melee combat. She could easily hurt Spyro and her claws were sharp enough to tear his scales.

"What's the matter? Can't fight a girl?" Helsa taunted.

"If you'd just stay still, I'll bite that beak off your face," Spyro shot back.

"Come and try it then," Helsa said.

She flapped her wings and sent waves of black fire outwards. Spyro countered by creating an ice shield using his ice powers. By the time his shield melted, Helsa had stopped her attack, exhausted and panting hard. Spyro used this chance to attack her.

"Hey, that's not very nice," Helsa remarked.

"I'm not all that nice," Spyro sneered.

Spyro shot ice shards at her but they melted before they could hit the black phoenix. Spyro could feel his dark side witnessing everything that went on and was itching to take over his body now that the amulet he wore wasn't there. Somehow, Dark Spyro did not make any attempts.

"Even the strongest timber wolf soldiers cannot defeat me. Do expect a whelp like you to fight someone like me," Helsa said.

"If I can defeat Malefor, I can defeat you," Spyro answered.

"That's a pretty cocky answer coming from a dragon that fought the Dark Master with some help. You did not fight him alone," Helsa sneered.

"So maybe I didn't but that doesn't mean I can't do it," Spyro snapped.

The two combatants launched punches, slashes and magic attacks at each other but they ended up in a draw. Spyro had expanded his energy while Helsa's reaction was slower due to fatigue. Spyro felt like fainting but he forced himself not to fall over.

"You're pathetic, Spyro. If you'd let me take care of her, she'd be dead in no time," Dark Spyro said.

"Try fighting someone your skill and see how tiring it is," Spyro answered back.

"The problem is that she has a long way to go before she can match my skill. Come on, Spyro, let me deal with her so you can rescue your friend quickly," Dark Spyro urged.

"No, I can do this by myself," Spyro insisted.

Spyro made multiple attempts to attack Helsa but he was always knocked back even when it seems that she was out of energy.

"Necro Shield. This spell protects the user from harm when they are weak provided there is sufficient spirit energy in a certain area," Dark Spyro hinted.

"Grand, just freaking grand," Spyro muttered.

"Given your current ability, you can't kill spirits so in other words, you can't fight her," Dark Spyro added.

Spyro did not listen and he kept on attacking Helsa but to no avail. The black phoenix on the other hand had no problem countering her rival. Spyro felt weak and fought back an urge rising inside him. Alas, he failed to contain that urge and Dark Spyro took over. Black aura emitted from him and it crackled like fire.

"You're a total wuss, purple boy. Let me show you how real dragons take down another wuss," Dark Spyro said.

"You would dare defy the Dark Master by attacking one of his subjects? Your treachery will not go unpunished," Helsa growled.

"Save your bluster for someone who cares. You are useless because you have made no progress in his plans. As such, I will kill you and do not expect to beat me. You're way below my league," Dark Spyro said.

* * *

Volteer and Cyril made it to a small village of Wyvern's Way. It was inhabited only by a dozen dragons and some other species. They didn't seem all too happy to see Volteer and Cyril, especially when one of them had a large ominous crystal sticking out from the forehead.

"We're running out of time but I don't think I can go on. We may as well rest here for the night," Cyril said.

"I don't know," Volteer muttered. "The residents here do not seem very friendly to me."

"I don't blame them. They have been through hard times," Cyril answered.

The two guardians went into a shanty inn and approached the innkeeper at the counter. He was a one-eyed canine with a few broken fangs and his skin bore multiple scars. Behind him were a deer head and a musket hung on the wall.

"You two don't look like you're from around here," the innkeeper said in a gruff voice.

"We're just passing by and we've travelled far. Do you have any accommodation for us?" Cyril asked.

"I have only one room big enough for one dragon. If you're gonna rent a room, one of you have to stay in the barn," the innkeeper said and pointed at a barn next to the inn.

"We'll take it. What is the cost?" Cyril asked.

"The barn will be free but the rented room will cost you two hundred gold pieces," the innkeeper replied.

Cyril looked at Volteer but the lightning guardian just shrugged. The two did not have enough gold with them and Cyril was about to reject the deal when a sack of gold coins fell on the counter. The innkeeper saw a hooded lynx nodding towards the two dragons.

"This one is on me," he said. "I need to have a word with you two."

Volteer and Cyril were confused but they obliged. The stranger brought them to a corner and sat down on a bench.

"Please, have a seat," the lynx said.

The two dragons sat down and looked at the hooded lynx. He removed the hood and leaned back on the backrest of the bench.

"Volteer and Cyril…I didn't expect to see you here so far from Warfang," the lynx said.

"Forgive me if I sound rude but who in the Ancestors' name are you?" Volteer asked.

"You mean you do not recognize me?" the lynx asked in return. "I'm known as the Grey Shadow and I'm sure you've heard of me."

Volteer thought for a while and a surprised look appeared on his face.

"You're the notorious Grey Shadow working for loan sharks?"

"I think we've crossed paths before twice back then," Bane Kal said.

Cyril nodded his head.

"Yes, now I remember. Before we were guardians, we were temple guards and this guy showed up one day trying to steal from the temple."

"Someone's gotta make a living. Life isn't exactly easy for me back then and it's sure as hell isn't that easy for me now. Luckily for you, I stole nothing because you guys were vigilant guards. However, I'm not here to juggle your memories about our encounter. I have something important to tell you," Bane Kal said.

He sat up straighter and looked at the two dragons.

"You wouldn't believe this but a few days back, I met Spyro and he was headed towards Mount Grendor."

For ten seconds, the two dragons just stared at each other before Volteer spoke up.

"That is just marvelous! This proves that Spyro is capable of surviving even when the odds of surviving is ten percent and given the current state of our world is deteriorating and…" Volteer said excitedly when Cyril cut him off.

"You say he's headed for Mount Grendor?" the icy blue dragon asked while holding his hurting head.

"Yes but that was a few days ago. He should be there by now," Bane Kal said.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Cyril asked.

"Take a good look at my face. Do I look like I'm lying to you? I may be a criminal in the past but I'm no dishonest criminal. It is my virtue not to lie."

"A criminal with virtue? Don't make me laugh."

"Well, if you don't believe me, that is your problem. Now listen to me and listen carefully, there is something about Spyro I don't like. He has this…dark aura about him and more than once, I caught him talking to himself and he's been acting strange. I don't know what you did to him but he's definitely not normal."

"I can assure you we did nothing to him. Haven't seen him for many years after he ran away."

Bane Kal had more questions in mind after Cyril said that but he was interrupted by Volteer. The lightning guardian looked worried.

"If Spyro is really alive, we have a chance to fight back the evil that is plaguing this realm. We should apologize to him when we see him," Volteer said.

"He has fallen into darkness. Spyro is not the savior anymore and you're doomed," Cyril said.

This time, Volteer and Bane Kal were really surprised. Instead of Cyril's voice, all they heard was a demon's voice coming out from Cyril. They also noted that Cyril's eye color was different.

"Cyril, I think we better get moving now. There is no point staying here anymore," Volteer said while backing away a bit.

Cyril seemed to struggle to hold in something until his eye color returned to normal. He looked fatigued and blood dripped from his forehead where the demonite was.

"It feels like as if I went to hell and back. The darkness is crying out for blood and their call is getting stronger. Something seems to be feeding it," Cyril whispered.

They heard a something beside them and saw the innkeeper taking a seat next to Bane Kal.

"Darkness invading the world I see. I think I have something to say about it," the innkeeper said.

"What is there that you know? If you have something we don't know, by all means share it," Volteer said with a weak smile.

"I doubt that this old coot knows anything," Cyril muttered.

"Well, this old coot has a trick or two up his sleeves. My family used to be part of a human family many centuries ago before they died out. We were the most loyal servant family there is and we were also fine soldiers. Humans have always appreciated canine help and because of our unwavering loyalty to our masters, many of us were taught about secrets they handed to us, many cannot be found nowadays. My family worked for an arcane master and we possess magical knowledge because of that. The arcane master, Jarren Tiberius, specializes in researching the dark arts and the underworld. He knew Convexity existed because he worked closely with dragons. Many humans do not possess the knowledge of Convexity because they all think it's some dragon folklore," the canine explained.

"So what does that have to do with saving the world?" Cyril asked.

"Be patient, I'm telling you how my family acquired such knowledge. Anyway, Jarren once told my ancestor that the world is decaying. It sounded stupid at first but when the humans died out and many other disasters followed, I can't help but wonder that whether what Jarren said contains the truth. He did not give an exact date when the world would end but he did list out several events that marked the coming of the end of time. All of the events that occurred such as the rise of Malefor and the first destruction of our world were all listed down in his letters with great accuracy. I even have copies of them if you're interested in reading them. He never told my family how he got such knowledge but he assured us that the dragons did not reveal such things to him. Later, we found out he was dabbling with dark arts to acquire such knowledge. He wanted to help save the world from total destruction but the way he does it is wrong. It took a toll on not only his mind but on his insanity as well."

The innkeeper paused for a while before continuing his story.

"However, his meddling in the dark arts allowed him to see worlds that even dragons cannot see and hear the plans of the great darkness. He claimed to have travelled to multiple realms via magic portals to places like Convexity, the Underworld as well as a realm called the Veil. While Convexity acts as a middle realm between our world and the underworld, the Veil is a…narrow realm between Convexity and the mortal realm. It has the most concentrated darkness there and Jarren thinks there is a way that the Veil can manifest itself. It can appear in different forms but the best known form of manifestation is the dark beam emitted during the Night of Eternal Darkness. People will tell you that it is part of Convexity but in reality, that beam is the Veil. Read Jarren's letters and you'll understand what I'm trying to tell you. I have been instructed by my family to hand these letters to the ones who will help save the world and those orders have been passed down from my ancestor until now. Follow me."

Eager to know and filled with curiosity, the three followed the innkeeper to his room where he locked the door after everyone entered and opened a metal safe next to a wardrobe.

"These letters along with Jarren's dairy have been passed down through my family. They are sort of prophetic and I feel that only dragons can decipher his writings. To many of us, it's nothing but gibberish. The only message that is clear to me is the first paragraph written in his diary. It is an instruction saying that when the time is right, his writings should be handed to dragons that can be trusted and he has put all his trust in our judgment. Even when the war that ended the existence of humans involved dragons, he still puts his trust in you guys," the innkeeper explained and handed the documents to Volteer.

Volteer accepted them and kept it into a backpack given to him by the innkeeper. Cyril seemed agitated while Bane Kal just crossed his arms, not giving a damn about some documents that are not addressed to him.

"Listen carefully, these documents are said to contain plans to destroy this realm and I may be putting myself and everyone near me in danger. My family has been hounded by the dark forces for centuries because we have what they don't want the world to know. Now that their plan is commencing, I say that it is time for us to do something about it. Keep it safe for I believe that Jarren's writings may be the only thing that can stop the forces of darkness. The enemy will do anything to prevent their secrets from being leaked so be careful," the innkeeper whispered.

Volteer don't know if what he said was true. The event felt so random that it felt…wrong. However, he was willing to give him the benefit of doubt. If what he says is true, then they may have a chance to save the world…but that meant what Spyro did for them back then meant nothing anymore.

"I don't know if you're telling us the truth," Cyril said. "To me, you look like a demented innkeeper saying something that you don't even know of it's true or not."

"Cyril, that's not a very nice thing to say," Volteer snapped.

"And you doubt him as well so why are you complaining?"

"I did not say I doubted him."

"But you doubted him in your mind so it's the same."

"How'd you know what's going on in my noggin?"

Cyril screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his head and writhing in pain. This alarmed everyone in the room and they rushed to help Cyril but he shooed them away.

"I think they have caught wind of our plans already. We're headed for Icewind Ridge where we can seek someone to remove that accursed thing stuck in his forehead," Volteer said to the innkeeper.

The innkeeper looked at Cyril and shook his head grimly. "You must go quickly. The more you linger, the more likely his body will be taken over by the demon in that crystal. Humans have toyed with such things in the past and it's no surprise that many of them became demons. I do not wish to see dragons share the same fate."

Volteer took the innkeeper's advice and dragged Cyril out of the inn and went on their way. He wasn't sure what was going on but it felt like as if the heavens have granted him extra endurance to push forward.

"Can I have a refund?" Bane Kal asked the innkeeper.

"Stay a night here. You look tired," the innkeeper replied and went away.

* * *

"I swear…" Spyro muttered as he regained control of his body, "I swear that I'll kill you if I can just wrap my paws around that neck of yours."

"Look on the bright side, purple boy, your adversary is dead and you can continue with your objective. You can thank me later," Dark Spyro said casually. "Besides, if you try to kill me, it's pretty futile because I'm just a shadow."

"You're not a shadow…you're an inner evil spawned from the darkness from my soul. I don't know how you came to have a sentience but I'm not letting you have your way," Spyro remarked.

"Say what you like, Spyro. The outcome is still inevitable so get that into your thick skull," Dark Spyro said.

Spyro looked at Helsa's dead body and snorted. If every evil minion was as tough as her, Spyro needed to rethink his combat strategy rather than going head on with his opponents. He has to minimize the chances for his dark side to control his body.

"Young dragon, I can't believe you've done it!" Blackfang exclaimed as he appeared in the chamber with fourteen timber wolf spirits.

"I…well, yeah, it's…unbelievable," Spyro muttered.

"Helsa's demise has freed all of us from our earthly chains. Many have risen into paradise but we have stayed behind as to honor our promise. The dungeon where your friend is kept in is located in the basement of the temple. We shall unseal the spirit door for you but make haste because we cannot hold the door for long," Blackfang said.

The spirits led Spyro the temple basement and at the end of the basement was a door emitting an aura of black magic. The spirits touched the door and the black aura shattered but no shards fell to the floor for they vaporized as soon as they were in midair.

"You have exactly twenty minutes, dragon. Be quick," Blackfang warned.

Spyro broke down the door and glanced into each cell. Natasha was located in the last cell of the dungeon and she looked pale. Other than a few cuts and bruises, the dragoness looked okay.

"Natasha, wake up," Spyro said.

The dragoness stirred and blinked her eyes several times before focusing her attention of Spyro. She gave him a warm smile and kissed his forehead.

"I hope you did not go through too much trouble to rescue me," she said weakly.

"You have no idea," Spyro muttered.

Natasha got up and wobbled a bit before steadying herself. Spyro could see that she has been drained of a lot of blood and she looked like she could fall over anytime.

"I'm not sure…if I can go on. I may be a burden to you if I do," Natasha said as they were halfway through the dungeons.

"I promised your husband that I'd return you home alive. Besides, you have information that council could use to win the war against evil."

"They said that eh…well, I do have information…but it's not much. It'll lead them nowhere…however, I want you to give the council this book…in case I don't make it. It has all the info I have gathered so don't lose it."

Spyro accepted the black book and the two made their way to the exit. Natasha was lagging behind and before she could reach the exit, she fell and did not get up.

"Natasha, c'mon, the spirit door is almost reactivating again!" Spyro cried out.

"Spyro…I can't really go on…Helsa has drained too much blood from me to spawn the undead and I'm feeling too weak to move. Save yourself and let me die..." Natasha muttered.

"I made a promise!" Spyro said angrily.

"That is why promises should never be made. Just go…I will die without regret if you can just hand that book over to the councilors," Natasha insisted.

Spyro was quiet and nodded his head sadly.

"Logan sends his regards to you…" he said.

"Then…send mine to him. Tell him that I love him," Natasha said weakly.

"Another soul wasted…" Spyro muttered and ran.

The entire dungeon suddenly caved in and buried Natasha alive. Spyro barely got out from the dungeon and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Am I not capable of saving lives anymore? I made a promise to save Natasha but I let her die instead. I'm a damn failure," he said sadly.

"There was nothing you could do," Blackfang said as the spirit door resealed the hole. "Helsa has frequented her cell everyday to drain her blood and I'm surprised that she's not dead…until now. Dragon, we thank you once again for your help and we will make sure your dragon friend returns to paradise. You have more pressing issues back south so I suggest you ride the southern winds. It will bring you home quickly."

The fifteen spirits disappeared and the temple rumbled as it started to crumble apart. Spyro escaped the building and leapt off the mountain. With superb deftness, he swept open his wings and the winds took him south and away from Icewind Plateau. He looked behind him and saw a cloud of smoke rising from where the temple once stood.

"It…feels like I've forgotten something…" Spyro muttered.

* * *

Hunter, Prowlus and several cheetahs ran as fast as they could without looking behind. Their original team of fifty cheetahs now became a team of ten. The unexpected resurrection of the dead Jabberwockies caught them by surprise.

"That's just unfair. We killed them but they resurrected…as skeleton warriors? How'd they do that?" a cheetah asked.

"It must be dark magic. We're not gonna lead them to the village. Follow me, we're going somewhere else to ambush them," Prowlus said.

"What do you have in mind?" Hunter asked.

"The catacombs where you found Spyro and Cynder. It should still be there so my plan is that we lead them in there and seal the entrance," Prowlus explained.

"I hope you know what you're doing, chief, I heard rumors that the catacombs are now inhabited by demons," Hunter muttered.

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ignitus browsed through the library, looking for a book that might give him a clue of the realm's possible future. He looked through many tomes, books, and scrolls but nothing turned up. Every readable items he went through led to a dead end.

"This is most curious. There should be something archived here that tells about the future of the realm. No matter which book I read, they have inconclusive answers." Ignitus muttered to himself.

He saw Spyro's book located on a bookshelf to his left and read it. As the pages progressed, the color became darker and pictures distorted into images of death and pictures of the creatures of the damned appeared in numbers. They seem to be doing something.

"This does not bode well. Spyro may just be walking down Malefor's path…and I think he may have planned for this all along…" Ignitus said.

At the last written page, words in ancient Draconic were written on the topmost section of the page. It told Ignitus to refer to humans.

"But why? What do humans have to do with this? I understand that they are one of the three Prime Creatures tasked with maintaining the realm but it never occurred to me that they've done a particularly good job."

Nevertheless, Ignitus decided to check the history books of humans. It was a treasure trove of books of a long extinct race and Ignitus liked reading human-written books because of the flowery language and poetic descriptions they so often use. Unlike dragon language, human language varied from Eastern Ulsark and Antique Veynos to Classical Latin and Middle English. They seem similar yet different at the same time.

Several human scholars researched extensively on areas which only dragons took interest in and books written by them were full of things that even Ignitus never knew. It occurred to him that he was spending more time feeling concerned about Spyro than reading through these books like the previous Chronicler.

"Dr. Jerome Cresnar…Arcanist Lucien Dominic…Arna Adrenovich…all renowned scholars of dark magic, Convexity and topics that no humans dare research into. Some are even better than dragon scholars if I may add," Ignitus said. "I wonder what they have for me."

Their writings were very refreshing to read compared to books written by dragons because dragons tend to be dull when it comes to writing formal books. Not to say that the humans weren't serious, it's just that humans have interesting ways of trying to give examples and describe something. That aside, Ignitus found that these arcanists were gifted humans with the power of prophecy and they have an organization called the Sanctus Concilium (Sacred Council) which was an organization of arcanists, magicians and scholars of all different races. Ignitus heard of the Sanctus Concilium but never actually saw the headquarters of the organization before. A group of human scholars called the Discipulus of Oraculum (Students of Prophecy) studied the end of time and their progress was checked and overseen by dragon and phoenix arcanists.

The humans came to a conclusion that a so-called savior will end the Fourth Age and usher in the Fifth but the Fifth Age will not last for long as the savior will destroy it and end the existence of all forever. The phoenixes supported the claim but the dragons opposed it because it conflicted with their conclusion. To them, a savior will indeed end the Fourth Age but will guide them through the Fifth Age and not destroy it. If this "savior" destroys the Fifth Age, then this is no savior at all.

Of course, in the end, the dragons went with their own prophecies while the humans and phoenixes went with theirs.

"Perhaps that explains why the phoenixes don't trust Spyro and refuse to entertain him," Ignitus muttered. "Have we been wrong all the time about the prophecies? Were the humans and phoenixes right about this?"

Still not satisfied, Ignitus delved deeper into the area of the library called the Forbidden Archives where books deemed to be too dangerous to read were kept there. There, Ignitus stumbled upon a thick book written by Jarren Tiberius. The humans regard him as a great arcane master that went mad and possibly possessed after delving too deep into the dark areas of magic and the knowledge of the realms beyond. His writings were mostly too confusing to fathom and his use of rune texts made it difficult for Ignitus to interpret what he was trying to say. One thing for certain is that he had known a lot of things that others do not. It was possible that he kept his findings from the rest of the scholars.

"This guy is mad…yet, some of his sentences make sense. His explanations of the possible end time are clearer than what most scholars can give. His description…it matches Malefor and Spyro but the since Malefor is not present in the realm, Spyro is the only one that matches the profile. Jarren Tiberius…what have you hid from the world all this time?"

* * *

The cheetahs emerged from the catacombs with slightly wobbly legs and dusty clothes. They cleaned themselves and went on their way.

"For sure, Hunter, I'm never pulling off one of your stunts again. Trying to crumble a portion of the catacombs with bombs nearly cost us our lives," Prowlus growled.

"Yeah but at least we got rid of all undead Jabberwockies. Plus, I got something from one of them," Hunter said and took out a dark crystal.

Prowlus was clearly shocked and he grabbed the crystal and threw it into the river.

"That was not a plaything. You know what they can do to you if you utilize it," Prowlus said.

"That I do but I was wondering if the dark crystals were the ones behind the resurrection. I know they suck the energy out of dragons and corrupt lands but is it possible that they could resurrect the dead?" Hunter wondered.

"I don't really want to know," Prowlus said. "Such things aren't for us to tinker with. C'mon, let's get home before more trouble shows up."

The cheetahs went back to their village and were greeted by Terrador. He scowled as he noticed that only that few returned.

"Are the rest dead?" the green dragon asked.

"There is no way that my cheetahs could get lost in the forest. So isn't it obvious those Jabberwockies killed them?" Prowlus said.

Terrador nodded his head slowly.

"Indeed but how is it possible that you lost more than half of your team? I thought you guys were experts in ambush."

"That we are but those damned lizards suddenly came back from the dead and attacked us."

"Sounds a lot like a curse. It happened to the Apes too but they did not spring back to life immediately. Did you find anything strange about them?"

"Hunter found dark crystal amulets on them."

"But that's impossible! Dark crystals were never seen again after Malefor's defeat. How can they find them?"

"Can I answer that?"

They looked back towards the village entrance and saw a young dragoness walking towards them. Hunter and Prowlus weren't sure but the moment she came near them, their wounds healed and scars disappeared.

"Forgive the intrusion. My name is Marina and I'm a healer dragon. I was making my way through the forest when I stumbled upon your village. I wish to stay for the night," Marina said.

"You're welcome to stay though I can't give you perfect hospitality since there are many wounded refugees from Warfang," Prowlus answered.

"Marina is from the Northern Islands and I'm thankful she stopped by. Her healing powers are unlike anything I've seen before. She healed everyone of their wounds but we're still having problems with wounds infected with dark energy," Terrador muttered.

"Aye and while it is beyond my powers to completely cure them, it is possible to lessen the effects of the infection," Marina added.

"And what would those effects be?" Hunter asked.

"Insanity, hallucination, soul corruption and possible weakening of willpower that enables spirits to possess the host. Of course, the most common effect it has on dragons is the draining of magical energy but it seems to have some effect on magic users as well. It is common knowledge that most of the dark crystals have been destroyed when the Fourth Age ended. However, I have every reason to believe that dark crystals still exist and are harvested by the Fell Creatures," Marina answered in a grim manner.

"If what you say is true, are there any existing locations where dark crystals can be found in large numbers?" Terrador asked.

"Just follow the harvesters," Marina said with a smile and went back into the village.

The cheetahs were clueless but Terrador understood what Marina meant.

"To harvest dark crystals is a near impossible job as long as you have magical energy inside of you. Besides that, the harvester is susceptible to the corrupting effects of the crystals. I do not know much about our fallen brethren but I do know they employ Lesser Creatures to commence harvesting operations," Terrador explained.

"You're calling us lesser creatures?" Prowlus said with a frown.

"Lesser Creatures are those that do not speak our language and lack intelligence such as dreadwings, scruvywings, grublins and so on. You all who are not part of the Prime Creatures are called Common Creatures. Anyway, what Marina meant was that we follow the harvesters. They can lead us to the mines," Terrador said.

"And how exactly do we know who to follow? There are so many Lesser Creatures out there."

"Warfang has been taken over and I think the Jabberwockies made it their base of operations and storage for dark crystals. Prowlus, if I may ask a favor from you again, I'd like you to send scouts to the vicinity of Warfang and check things out. If my suspicions are true, we're gonna disrupt their operation."

"And how do we do that?"

"We destroy everything in the mine and bug out."

"But what about the village? The last ambush cost us more than half of my cheetahs and the village will fall if they found it and attack it."

"Move the people to Port Town. They can seek refuge there."

Prowlus thought about it and scratched his furry chin. Port Town was indeed a safer place than being within one hundred kilometers of Warfang. The only things that stopped him was that he did not like leaving the village of his ancestors and the number of wounded refugees made it hard for them to move about.

"We need alternatives. These wounded refugees are too much of a burden and we cannot afford to move about with haste with these people dragging us down. If you cannot find extra help, I see no way we can move these refugees about," Prowlus said.

"Take them to the river and ride the boats. The river will take us out to the Shining Seas and there we can row to Port Town easily. I'm not risking any lives by passing through the Keeper's Pass. Marina told me that the creatures residing there have all gone mad with corruption of the soul," Terrador explained.

"This is madness. Have the dark influence spread that far?"

"I'm not surprised since Warfang has been corrupted by the presence of Jabberwockies and the probable presence of dark crystals. It's a miracle that none of us have yet to be corrupted."

"And you still want to check out Warfang?"

"We must stem the dark influence on spreading. If we do not do so, that influence may reach to distant lands. I will talk to the baron of Port Town so that he could lend us a hand in spying on the Jabberwockies."

After several considerations and discussion with the other cheetahs, Prowlus nodded his head and agreed to Terrador's plan. The sick and the wounded were evacuated to the river docks where a river boat ferried them towards the sea. Those that were able to hold a weapon were tasked with guarding the ship. Terrador flew above the ship and looked around cautiously.

"The waters are smooth today. It will be sundown soon so keep your eyes peeled. If you notice anything strange, do not hesitate to use the bow and arrows. Hunter, where are we now?" Prowlus asked his aide.

Hunter took out a map and traced his finger over the route they were taking.

"We should be entering Keeper's Pass in a few minutes. While the river route is safer, that does not eliminate the threat of creatures trying to jump onto our boat. I suggest we get every available fighter on deck while the rest goes below deck," Hunter said while looking at the map and Prowlus's grim face.

Prowlus looked at Marina. She was still busy treating wounds of the wounded refugees but progress was slow because the wounds were not normal wounds.

"Marina, you still haven't told us how to cure those infected wounds," Prowlus called out.

"All I need are three types of ingredients to concoct an herbal antidote that could counter the effects of these wounds. I need Athelas leaves, Dragonwood berries and spores from the Illfarn mushroom," Marina answered.

"Aren't those the trade items of Port Town?" Hunter asked Prowlus.

"They are but these guys do not have that much time. If we travel to Port Town at current speed, they might die. It's another miracle that they have not died after so many days but I don't think they can hold on much longer," Prowlus remarked.

"So what are you suggesting?"

"We either let Marina handle things or we can stop the boat and explore Keeper's Pass for these items. If I were you, I'd vote for the former."

Hunter wanted to say something but there came a commotion from the deck below. When Hunter went to check it out, he was shocked to see one of the refugees attacking others with his knife.

"What're you doing? Stop it!" Hunter shouted.

The canine turned around and growled at Hunter in a feral manner. The cheetah could tell the canine warrior was corrupted by darkness because black marks extended from the wound in his chest.

"Chief, I think we better find a cure," Hunter said and tackled the canine to the floor.

Hunter hogtied him and brought him before Prowlus. The canine writhed about angrily and tried to bite those who tried to touch him.

"If you don't find a cure, we'll all be dead. Unless you don't mind getting ravaged by the infected, I say we better stop this boat and find the ingredients Marina needs," Hunter said while pointing at the infected canine warrior.

"I do not have enough men to search for these ingredients and we're running out of time. Can't we hold them until we reach Port Town?" Prowlus said.

"You want us to hogtie all the other wounded refugees?"

"It may sound inhumane but it's the best for us all. It's better than dumping them overboard and watching them drown."

Hunter contemplated and looked at the other cheetah warriors. They looked fatigued and unwilling and Hunter knew they were secretly afraid. While Warfang's corruption may have affected Keeper's Pass, the dense forest had already been slowly corrupted by something unknown even before the capture of Warfang. The creatures there had turned into mindless beings with a deadly bloodlust and the other cheetah clans that resided in the forest either turned up dead or twisted into something grotesque. Their mentality degraded to the level of feral beasts and would attack anything on sight, even their own kin.

"You do have a point, chief, but I'm worried about tying up those rhino soldiers…those guys can break ropes easily," Hunter muttered.

"Do we have any chains onboard?"

"We do have some but we don't have enough to tie them all. If we're lucky, the southern winds will blow tonight and we can reach the sea quickly."

Prowlus nodded his head and went back to steering the boat. His ears twitched at every sound that came from the bushes that lined both sides of the river. He could see the eyes of creatures staring at the boat from the shadows of the forest and it was only a matter of time before they struck.

* * *

"Spyro, thank the Ancestors you have arrived safely!" Aeron exclaimed when Spyro returned to Mon Tiara. "Where's Natasha?"

"Alas…she did not make it. A black phoenix, Helsa Blackwing, harmed her beyond hopes of recovery and she gave me a book before she died," Spyro said sadly as he approached the councilor.

"Helsa Blackwing…she's a very dangerous necromancer and a sadistic on at that. Was she behind the timber wolves' preparation to join the dark forces?" Aeron asked.

"From what I've learnt, she was sending orders to the unsuspecting timber wolves under the guise of their long dead elder. The timber wolf temple on Mount Grendor had been abandoned for some time now and the timber wolves did not realize it," Spyro answered.

"Then…this is very grave indeed. Even as we speak, unsuspecting Common Creatures are being misled into joining the Fell Creatures and their dark crusade against what little hope we have in this world. I should have seen that coming but still, we have not gained enough information to know what they're going to do next. Hopefully Natasha has recorded important things worth noting in this book. Thank you for your help, Spyro. Go get some rest. We'll call you for a meeting later," Aeron said softly and retrieved the book from Spyro.

Spyro felt tired and went to his room. He wanted to sleep but something was troubling him. During his flight back to Mon Tiara, he kept seeing visions and silhouettes of Malefor flashing before his vision. He saw glimpses of a dark gathering of Fell Creatures. They were planning something but Spyro could not discern what they were saying.

"How much more do I have to endure before I die and see Cynder again? I don't want to be the dragon of prophecy. Can't I just be a normal dragon?" Spyro said to himself.

"We have our callings, Spyro," someone said.

Spyro looked towards the ceiling and saw Ivan waving at him. The rodent leapt from the rafters and landed on a pile pillows next to Spyro.

"That never gets old," Ivan said with a smile. "You seem depressed, my purple friend. What ails you?"

"It's this world. The imbalance between the forces of light and darkness is making me go crazy. We seem to be fighting a losing battle and those foul creatures are torturing us. Furthermore, I feel like I'm losing my sanity…my dark side seems to be getting the upper hand. That peace in my soul seems non-existent now," Spyro said.

Ivan looked sympathetic and patted Spyro back.

"I'll be frank with you, Spyro, I cannot feel entirely what you feel but I know that you have suffered greatly. As far as I'm concerned, corruption of the soul is very dangerous for you have little chance of recovering what little light you have left. Things may get even worse with the next Night of Eternal Darkness arriving. The Fell Creatures are especially attracted to this phenomenon and they seem to energize in its beam. I fear that the dark side of your soul will compel you to absorb the ray and complete the corruption," Ivan said grimly as he walked towards a bookshelf.

"So what should I do?" Spyro asked as he remembered that he left the golden amulet Ignitus gave him back at the temple.

"Well," Ivan started. "The humans have pioneered a method of controlling the corrupted side of the soul. It involves absorbing your dark side and sealing it in some sort of vessel. Of course, such a method is damaging to your soul because your dark side still is a part of your entire soul. To rip it out is to bring about soul death where your soul can never return to paradise. It will cease to exist. Another method is to visit the shrine of Yir'usani, the dragon goddess of Light and Healing. Gain her favor and she will grant you an artifact that can help control your dark side," Ivan explained and handed Spyro a picture of the dragon goddess.

Spyro can't help but notice that she looked a lot like Cynder's adult form except she looked more benevolent and her smile was heartwarming. Below her portrait was her symbol - a cross with vines twining around it.

"She's beautiful. She reminds me of Cynder," Spyro muttered.

"Seek out her shrine, Spyro. It's not far from our mountain and every day, hundreds of pilgrims go to her shrine for healing. If she could not help you, no one can," Ivan said.

With renewed hopes, Spyro gained permission from the councilors to seek out Yir'usani's shrine. In the mean time, the councilors gathered for a meeting after Aeron had read Natasha's notes.

"We have gained some info but I fear that it's not enough," Aeron said while his hands secretly toyed with his smoking pipe. "Still, we now have a glimpse of the enemy's next move."

"Anything from the Scroll of Memory?" Ferrus asked.

"Nothing. It has been damaged beyond repair and I can't interpret anything. We can only rely on Natasha's notes. We know that the Fell Army is planning to meet the Alliance Army head on but while the main army fights, the Fell Creatures have planned to use Port Town to launch their cannon ships. These ships will bombard Alliance cities at the Azura Coast, which are of course strategic locations," Aeron said.

"And since there are no nearby cities close to Port Town, it will be easy pickings for the Jabberwockies as they are the closest to strike it," Blitz added.

"Yes and if the Alliance cities lining the Azura Coast fall, the rest of the Valencia Continent is open to attack from sea and that is the last thing the Alliance wants," Aeron agreed with a nod.

"Are we going to do something about it?" Aqua asked.

"Militarily, we cannot intervene. However, I will send messengers to the Alliance cities and warn them about their plans. That should prepare them for the assault. I believe their reason for attacking the cities is that one of the cities is built on top of an ancient gateway that is believed to lead to Convexity and the netherworld," Aeron explained.

"So they're attempting to summon an army from the Netherworld. How very typical of them," Frost snorted.

"One gate is not enough. I have every reason to believe that they are trying to activate all seven Convexity gateways located on the seven continents of this world. With that, they could unleash the Great Oblivion Gate which acts very much like the Well of Souls except that instead of releasing malevolent spirits, it releases demons and denizens of the netherworld. This happened before and it can happen again if we do not act."

The entire council was quiet and they looked at each other with quick glances. The Great Oblivion Gate, or "Convexity Supergate", has been opened five times throughout history, each time bringing about untold destruction as demons from hell poured through it and wreaked havoc upon the mortal world.

"History will not repeat itself as long as we live. If we can keep this band of misfits together long enough, we should be able to counter the enemy threat. Hopefully we can keep things together before the Night of Eternal Darkness," Aeron muttered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

_A/N: How is the story so far? Sorry I've been slow to upload chapters (got distracted by DoTA and the lack of mood). I know my story isn't the lovey-dovey type of story but I want to thank those who took the trouble to comment on my humble story. It's not perfect but I seek to improve it._

* * *

It was not as easy as what Ivan said. The shrine of the dragon goddess Yir'usani was not on the map and some locals refuse to even tell Spyro where it was. They must think that he has risen from the dead and came back to haunt them. It was absurd but Spyro just could not get anyone to stop and tell him where the shrine was located.

While walking down a beaten track, Spyro grumbled, "I just couldn't get anyone to tell me, can I? What the hell is wrong with these people?"

While Spyro wandered the wilderness for a bit, he noticed a burning caravan in the middle of the road. There was a dragoness lying beside it and she was still alive but Spyro could not say the same for the other occupants though. They were burnt beyond recognition and each of them had a metal spear impaled through their chests.

"You all right, ma'am?" Spyro said and shook the unconscious dragoness lightly.

She stirred but did not open her eyes. Slash wounds were present on her chest, legs, back and wings. She was still bleeding and Spyro concluded that the attack on the caravan was recent. It was getting dark soon and Spyro had to find a safe place to get her treated. Luckily for him, there was a town nearby.

The town was walled and a great gate blocked the entrance. Spyro knocked on it.

"Hello, can you let us in? I have someone wounded that needs treatment," Spyro called out.

Five seconds later, Spyro heard a click and the left gate opened slowly. A canine peeked out cautiously and noticed Spyro. There was a look of surprise and a bit of fear at first but it was quickly replaced by a look of suspicion.

"What do you want?" the canine guard asked gruffly.

"I have a wounded dragoness that needs healing. Do you have a doctor here?" Spyro asked.

"I am the doctor of this town. Don't be surprised if I'm dressed like a guard. Our good for nothing mayor made every available canine carry arms due to the lack of good guards defending this town. Bring her in and I'll have her treated," the canine said.

The town was a gloomy place and not even a cheer came from the tavern. The citizens looked fatigued and lifeless. They did not even stop to give even a glance at the newcomers and just shuffled past them. Those who noticed them whispered to their friends while pointing fingers at them.

"I find more cheer in a graveyard than this place. What's going on here?" Spyro wondered.

"I'll tell you once we're in my clinic," the doctor said.

The doctor's clinic was located at the northern end of town. It was well-kept compared to the other buildings but the interior of the building was a bit messy. He laid the dragoness down on the sick bed and watched the doctor treat her.

"Treating dragons isn't an easy thing. I spent five years in med school just to learn how to treat a dragon," said the canine while examining the dragoness's wings.

"About my question earlier, I was just curious on why the town looks so dead," Spyro said, ignoring what the doctor said.

"Colton wasn't like this back then…well, many things in this world weren't like this back then. Before the time of Malefor, Colton, or El-Hazir in Phoenix language, was a prospering trading post with many merchants coming from the Eastern and Western Empires as well as neighboring towns and cities. Even after the rise and defeat of Malefor, the town prospered. However, ever since your disappearance, our town came under attack by Fell Creatures and with many towns, cities and even nations sharing the same fate, trade stopped as the roads became unsafe," the doctor said as he gave Spyro a grim look.

"So you know who I am?" Spyro asked with surprise.

"Many may have forgotten about you but I for one have not. You did us a great favor by saving the world from Malefor but I fear that you are now known as the harbinger of the world's destruction. Jarren Tiberius saw it coming and his prophecies are being fulfilled as we speak. Mad as he is, he spoke more truth than any other scholar I know," the canine doctor explained.

"So…who is this Jarren Tiberius you speak of?"

"Even modern dragon scholars do not know about him because your ancestors sought to keep his prophecies from the dragon public. It would contradict their belief that a savior will save the world and not destroy it. To answer your question, Jarren Tiberius was an accomplished human scholar during the later years of the Third Age. He…tinkered with the dark powers and while he gained insight of their plans for the future, he was also slowly corrupted by the dark powers. A heavy price to pay but it was worth it."

"I assume you studied his writings?"

"My dear friend, every canine in this realm studies human writings for we are their stewards in this world. They may have been long gone but we carry their legacy. Even if people call Jarren Tiberius a mad man, he has given us what we need to know. How we solve that trouble is a different matter. For starters, we can kill you here and now but I'm a doctor. I save lives; not take them. Besides, he never mentioned who exactly is this false savior so it can either be you or Malefor. Malefor is not present in this world so it leaves only you but as much as I want to trust what Jarren Tiberius said, I dare not raise a paw against you. You did us a favor…"

"Look, I never said I was the savior. I only wanted to do what is best for this world and help it. All this prophecies and doomsday vision is the cause of all strife. I started off as a normal dragon living a normal life until I was dragged into this whole "saving the world" thing. I have been told many times that I was the dragon of prophecy but was I ever the dragon of prophecy? I have my doubts but honestly, I was only trying to help people," Spyro said indignantly.

The doctor just nodded his head and went back to treating the wounded dragoness. Maybe that was why he wasn't welcomed. Maybe they all believed the prophecy made by a mad man. Before Spyro could initiate another conversation, two guards came into the clinic and spoke with the doctor. They spoke in a language that Spyro did not understand. After their conversation, one guard approached Spyro.

"Sahinka (good evening in Eastern Aurelian), Spyro, the mayor heard of your arrival and requests your audience. Follow us and I suggest that you don't try anything funny," the guard said dangerously.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Spyro muttered under his breath.

He followed them to a ruined town hall and at the reception hall was the mayor. He was talking to a guard and when he saw Spyro enter the hall, he shooed everyone away.

"My dear purple friend, it's a surprise to see you back from the dead. My name is Alex" the plump mayor said.

"Well, Mayor Alex, I wasn't dead in the first place. I just exiled myself from society," Spyro corrected.

"Ah, well, nevertheless it is a surprise to see the world's savior return during these dark times. You are the savior…right?"

"I'm no self-proclaimed savior. Dragon prophecies just state that I'm their so-called chosen one," Spyro said.

"So it seems. My apologies if my fellow kin are less than welcoming. Business has been very bad lately and with no merchants coming to Colton…anyway, what brings you to our town?" the mayor asked.

"I was looking for the Shrine of Yir'usani but no one would tell me where it is. As I was wandering about the wilderness, I came upon a caravan and found a wounded dragoness. I came here to seek out a doctor," Spyro explained.

The mayor nodded his head. "That's very noble of you, Spyro. By any chance you've noticed anything about that caravan? I was expecting some visitors but they were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Besides several burnt bodies impaled by spears, there's nothing unusual about it," Spyro said.

"I see. I fear that they may be the visitors I was expecting. You found them south of our town?"

"Yes, sir."

"Those damned fools. I told them to take the Aurelian Route yet they care not for what I've said. I'll have my kin give them a proper burial later. As you were saying, you're looking for the Shrine of Yir'usani? Dragons do not make any pilgrimage there anymore. The shrine has been desecrated and it's most likely in ruins by now. You see, it's located off the Argentian Route which is south of here. The shrine is located in the middle of the Northern Glacier Forest. It ain't hard to spot but the road may be overgrown and hard to spot."

"Do you have any idea who would desecrate the shrine or what their motives were?"

"Many shrines have been desecrated but not necessarily by dark forces. But for Yir'usani's shrine, I heard rumors that her once sacred shrine has been turned into a place of dark worship and as an altar of sacrifice to the ruinous powers. I spoke to some who ventured to her shrine and they tell me that tears of blood flowed from the statue's eyes and real flesh wounds were present on her stone body. If I were you, I wouldn't venture there."

"But I need to gain her favor. I need her help."

"If you insist on going there, take this map with you. Refer to it if you get lost. If you are noble at heart and pure in spirit, she will grant you a favor but it's most likely that she'll have you complete a task first. Be wary, Spyro, dark creatures inhabit the vicinity of the shrine."

"Why are you treating me so kindly while your kin aren't so happy to see me?"

"It must be the whole "Jarren Tiberius prophecy" thing. I never believed what he wrote even if it made some sense. In fact, I don't believe in any damn kind of prophecy be it Draconic, Phoenician or Human. I just live life as it is and that is what makes me happy. I can't really say that now since the dark forces are running rampant and our fair town came under attack recently."

Spyro thanked the mayor and left. Before he left the town, he told the doctor to take care of the dragoness while he attends to some errands. Spyro followed the map closely and came upon the entrance to Northern Glacier Forest.

"Wow, the mayor was right. I can't even see a path," Spyro muttered.

Trusting that the map will lead him, he followed the winding paths into the heart of the forest. The environment was as dark as it is foreboding and it did not help that bodies of dead animals were everywhere.

"Death has to go to wherever I go. Can't it leave me alone just this once?" Spyro grumbled.

As Spyro neared the shrine, he had visions of a dragoness chained to a stone pillar and it looked exactly like the goddess of the shrine. He also saw several figures standing around her but couldn't see their faces as their backs were facing him.

"How very odd," Spyro muttered.

While deep in thought, Spyro accidently bumped into something. He looked up and saw bodies impaled by poles as well as hanging from trees. Many were innocent women and children.

"This…this is madness! Who would do such a thing?" Spyro exclaimed.

The Shrine of Yir'usani was located in the middle of an opening and around it were drawings of eldritch symbols and runes written with blood. The statue of Yir'usani didn't exactly like her as she had a somewhat feral look.

"Looks like I'm staying here to investigate what's going on. I hope it's nothing serious though I seriously doubt that."

* * *

_January 4__th__ 0011 Frost Fire_

_This is the journal of Volteer, dragon guardian of lightning. I have been travelling with Cyril for days now and we're now halfway through Icewind Plateau. We had little rest and our journey north was a perilous one. With each passing day, I notice a change in Cyril not only in looks but in his attitude as well. He seems eager to shed blood and any wild creature we encountered in the wilderness was torn apart by him. His intelligence remained the same but he has an increasing…feral side which is comparable to a demon. I suspect that the demon essence inserted into him is slowly taking over his will and my greatest fear is that we will not reach our destination in time. So far, he has yet to hurt me but the time will come when Cyril's soul will be fully corrupted._

_January 5__th__ 0011 Frost Fire_

_We came upon a great lake in the more snowy regions of the plateau. I remember this place as a place where many miners would dive under the lake to reach an underwater mine. There they would mine for gems and crystals. Lake Montara…yes, that is its name. I came to the island resort located in the middle of the lake once when I was just a teen. Back then, it was a place of relaxation to escape the summer's heat and it was fun watching miners dive underwater and come back with a heavy sack of precious stones. One of them even gave me an amethyst for free. It was sad to see that the resort has been deserted for more than 50 years after no one took over the resort. Until three years ago, miners still come to Lake Montara to mine for precious stones. Now, the area surrounding the lake has been deemed too dangerous for people and mining operations ceased. As we passed by the edge of the lake, I could still see the ruined remains of the resort I once visited. Bittersweet memories came flooding back and I could still picture my love and I standing there in each other's embrace while the setting sun descends beyond the mountains. I really do not know what happened to her after I became guardian…_

_January 8__th__ 0011 Frost Fire_

_Snow has been falling from the heavens quite heavily these days. It is as if the gods and goddesses were shedding frozen tears at our plight. We decided to make camp near the Greater Tigon River and today, I noticed another change in Cyril's look. I do not recall extra horns and appendages growing on his face and body and they certainly do not look natural. Cyril must be aware of it but even if he is, he isn't paying much attention to it. I could feel his stare and it was filled with murderous intent. The only reason he has not killed me yet is because Cyril still has a grip on his will but how long will that last before he lets go. _

_January 15__th__ 0011 Frost Fire_

_The ink I bought from a shop before we entered the plateau is running low rather quick. This may very well be my last journal entry until I can get more ink. Cyril intends to go to Caradas, the city of Phoenixes for our next pit stop. Long ago, Caradas was the only human city of the Third Age that has a sizeable number of phoenixes. Now with humans gone, the phoenixes made Caradas their capital. The human architecture here is simply amazing with all their gothic churches, castles and manors. It's the one of the greatest forms of human art but sadly, the phoenixes can only maintain them and not replicate them._

* * *

"You certainly have an interest in writing journals, Volteer," Cyril said when he saw Volteer penning down some words in a notebook.

"It helps me keep track of the things that happened. I wish we could've stayed at Lake Montara a bit longer," Volteer said.

"We have no shelter there," Cyril replied. "I'm going to the tavern for a drink. You coming?"

"I think I'll pass. Just don't pass out there."

After Cyril left, Volteer took time to ponder on what to do. He had a nagging feeling that Cyril could pounce on him anytime and he did not want that to happen. Perhaps he could seek help from a phoenix scholar. There was a university not far from the inn he was staying in and he went there to seek help. While looking around the different faculties, he stumbled upon an old friend while he was at the toilet.

"Volteer? Is that you?" a golden phoenix remarked when he saw Volteer.

"By the Ancestors, I can hardly believe it! It's my old comrade Altair Windblade! Long time no see!" Volteer exclaimed happily and shook his friend's wing.

"Yes, blabbermouth, it's a pleasure to see you too," the phoenix replied with a grin.

"You know I don't like being called that," Volteer said sourly.

"So what brings you all the way to Caradas? The world is getting dangerous and people are being confined in their cities but yet, you made it all the way to our fair city. There must be a reason," Altair said.

"My companion and I are headed north so we just came by here for a pit stop before continuing on our journey."

"North? There is nothing up north except snow beasts, dark creatures and dangerous cliff formations. If you're heading for the city of North Point, forget it because the city was captured by our Fell brethren a year ago. I swear that these Fell Creatures are getting bold."

"We're not heading for North Point, Altair. We're going to Snow's Reach to seek out someone who can help my companion."

"Snow's Reach…I've never heard of such a place."

"It's located in the Icewind Ridge. My companion said that not many know of its existence."

"You know, there is no need to go up north. Our university has the best doctors and I'm a qualified medical officer and surgeon myself. What ails your friend?" Altair asked with genuine concern.

"Well, if you can solve the problem of someone being possessed by a demon, I'll be grateful," Volteer said flatly.

Altair thought for a while and shook his head.

"How was he possessed?" he asked.

"Someone inserted a demonite into his forehead and now with the demon's essence released into him, I fear that my companion will become a demon and his life will be lost," Volteer answered.

"That is…a very serious case. Many creatures have attempted to summon demons using this method and many innocent lives have been forfeited because of this madness. I am not qualified to deal with matters concerning the soul of a person. I'm sorry my friend," Altair said while patting Cyril's back.

"Well, it's alright," Volteer said with slight disappointment. "Isn't there anyone in this city who can deal with this kind of problem?"

"Unfortunately, Volteer, there isn't any. There are people trained to deal with this problem but most of them are not on our continent. I do know that North Point trains exorcizers but like I said earlier, North Point is no more and we have no word of the survivors. If what your companion say is true, then I suggest you and your companion make haste."

"Thanks for helping, Altair. I did hope we need not venture too far to seek help. Seems like it's time for us to go."

"Best of luck to you, my friend. I hope your companion still has some willpower left. The last thing we want is another demon in this forsaken world."

Meanwhile at the tavern, Cyril saw blood clouding his vision but he felt no visible wounds on his face. The tavern was full of people but he heard no noise; only the cries of the damned and demonic whispers. He could see people looking at him while others just laughed away.

"_This is no good…I'm going to lose it again if I'm not careful," _he thought.

Cyril felt something crawl up from inside him but he fought it back down with whatever willpower he had left. His claws curled and he gritted his teeth.

"_By the Ancestors…why do I have to go through this predicament? I better get away from here before I lose it…"_

His curled claws were now curled into a fist and Cyril was sweating. Some took notice of him and approached him.

"You look pale. Are you alright?" a phoenix asked.

"I need help…I need help…now," Cyril croaked while trembling.

"Get him a doctor and some water now," the phoenix said to the barkeeper. "You better lie down somewhere," he said to Cyril.

"I don't need a damn doctor…just…just get me out of this place," Cyril said.

"But, are you sure…"

Cyril felt weak and tired. He let go for only a second and the demon took control of his body in a fraction if a second.

"_Oh Ancestors, no!"_

Cyril suddenly exerted so much strength on the table that it broke in half, scaring the patrons in the tavern. He turned around towards the phoenix next to him and grabbed him by the neck before tossing him towards a group of phoenixes. The demon was now in control of Cyril and it was on a rampage that not even the guards could subdue him. At the same time, Volteer arrived and was horrified to see Cyril attacking the phoenixes.

"Cyril, cease your actions now!" Volteer shouted.

He leapt onto Cyril and pinned him to the ground but the demon controlling Cyril was stronger than him and he sent Volteer sailing into a stone wall with a single tail swipe. Volteer got up and charged at Cyril. Again he pinned Cyril to the ground and held him down with all his might and this time, Cyril tried to bite his neck. Dragon scales were tough to break and even a single bite wasn't enough to crack them but when Cyril bit Volteer's neck, the scales shattered and Cyril's teeth bit bare flesh, causing Volteer to cry out in pain.

"Don't make me hurt you. You're my friend and fellow guardian. We swore an oath not to hurt each other during our ordination. If you continue like this, you'll bring about the wrath of our Ancestors!" Volteer said.

Cyril kicked him away and ran for the exit but Volteer caught him by the tail and pulled him back. The ice guardian spun around and bit Volteer's paw. Volteer let go of Cyril's tail and Cyril tore through the roof of the tavern.

"Get back here!" Volteer exclaimed.

* * *

Spyro approached the shrine and touched it. Nothing happened at first but after a while, the shrine glowed slightly and out from the statue's mouth came an apparition of the goddess Yir'usani herself.

"Spyro, I know why you seek me but as of now, I cannot grant you any favors for my essence is held hostage. My shrine has been desecrated and many of my followers have been murdered by cultists working in the name of the dark ones. Your soul may have been tainted but your heart remains pure and you're still the hero that defeated Malefor. For this, I shall grant you your favor but you must release me from my bondage."

"How can a goddess be held hostage by any mortal agent? Isn't that impossible?" Spyro wondered.

"It is hard but not impossible. While we can be at multiple places in any given time, we cannot perform our duties if a part of our essence is missing from out whole spirit. Even as we speak, my true spirit in the heavens remain dormant for the essence assigned to this shrine is being held, thus I cannot wake unless you free that part of me. The cultists have bound it in a cave not far from my shrine and they intend to corrupt it. Spyro, you must hurry for if my essence is tainted, so will my entire spirit and I will become an agent for the dark ones. Make haste, young dragon."

The apparition dissipated into a thin wisp and returned into the mouth of the statue. At the same time, a seemingly immovable cliff wall shifted and a large portion rolled aside, revealing a cave. Spyro had no problem entering caves but this particular cave emitted such malicious air that the young purple dragon felt like backing away. Spyro stared at the cave for a while as he pondered whether he was walking into a trap. The crickets that sang in the woods no longer made any noise and the chirp of birds were non-existent, making the forest seem as silent as a graveyard. Only the rustling of tree leaves broke the silence.

"Well, why should I be afraid? If I can handle going into the Destroyer, this cave shouldn't be a problem!" Spyro said aloud, hoping to boost his own morale and bravery. "Besides, if Sparx knew that I'm afraid, I'll never hear the end of his incessant teasing," Spyro muttered softly.

He took a deep breath and walked into the cave. He was expecting the cave entrance behind him to shut suddenly but he was thankful it did not. However, he could not get out because the entrance was sealed by some invisible wall.

"Well, it's not like I have a choice. Rescue the goddess and get the hell out of here…sounds easy enough. Damn…there are times when I wish Cynder was by my side. At least she would say some things to cheer me up," Spy said sadly.

_A/N: Yes Spyro, we all miss Cynder but she was always by your side and still is. You just can't see her.  
_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Spyro felt edgy as he entered deeper into the cave. The air became so thick and heavy that the young dragon felt breathless. It was as if he had entered a low-pressure chamber. Still, Spyro pushed on further into the darkness, guided with nothing but his fire breath which he breathed occasionally to see where he was going.

"If I keep on doing this, I'll run out of energy," Spyro muttered as his fire breath got weaker. "I…I know this is dangerous but I should try and tap into my dark side's ability to see in the dark."

Spyro concentrated hard and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, his eyes were glowing white and he could see in the dark.

"Let's hope he doesn't mind me using his powers," Spyro said to himself.

Spyro looked around and found nothing extraordinary. In any case, the cave interior looked very much like any other cave interior. He came upon a dead end and the only way forward was a crevasse with an underground river running in it. Praying that the water wasn't deep, Spyro eased himself into the crevasse and followed the stream's current. Thankfully, the water wasn't deep and Spyro was able to wade through it.

"If it weren't in a claustrophobic place, I would've brought along my picnic basket," Spyro quipped.

The air was heavy with moisture and the sounds of water rushing echoed loudly in the confined space. If Spyro were to be a little bit bigger, he would've gotten stuck and that was the last thing he wanted. So far, the cave has been merciful to him as the place was wide enough. As the purple dragon ventured deep into the bowels of the cave, he came upon a waterfall with a twenty foot drop into a circular lake at the bottom. Spyro spread his wings and glided down slowly towards an opening at the west bank of the lake.

"This opening is definitely not natural," Spyro said as he noted the smooth sides of the arch. "I must be on the right track."

Just as he stepped past the opening, he received another vision. This time, he saw Yir'usani being surrounded by glowing dark crystals and they emitted dark beams directed towards the struggling goddess. At the same time, Spyro heard Yir'usani's voice.

"_Hurry, Spyro, they're seeking to corrupt my essence!"_

When the vision ended, Spyro lost his ability to see in the dark. However, a thin beam of light marked the way for him and Spyro followed it. The beam did not provide much illumination but it did provide Spyro a relatively safe route with little or no obstacles. The light beam ended at a huge ravine and there was a faint glow of light at the far side of the ravine.

"I can fly but the moisture in the cave is weighing me down. I don't think I can make it to the other side. There has to be another way," Spyro said to himself.

There were several platforms floating below. Spyro has seen this kind of obstacle far too many times. All he needed to do was to activate the switch and raise the platforms. He was standing next to one and Spyro stepped on the footswitch. A clicked echoed and the platforms rose up. Spyro did not anticipate it to flip about quickly.

"Oh, this again? I'm starting to wonder if the Chronicler built this cave," Spyro noted sarcastically.

Luckily, he had not lost his ability to control time. Time slowed for him as Spyro activated Dragon Time and jumped onto the platforms just as they showed their flat side. By the time Spyro reached the other side, the Dragon Time wore off and normal pace returned.

"That was easy," Spyro remarked with a smile as he looked back at the flipping platforms.

His pace quickened as the glow grew brighter. Just when he was about to reach the source of the glow, a wall of bones erupted in front of him and stretched from one end of the cave to the other.

"Hey, never stand between a dragon and his curiosity," Spyro called out angrily at whoever did it.

"I cannot allow you to pass, Spyro. I will not have a whelp like you ruin our master's plans," a voice boomed.

"I may have already ruined some of your plans," Spyro shot back.

"No…you have not. In fact, the wheels of fate is spinning and our plan is about to be set in motion. You have delayed nothing, not even the fate of your own soul," the voice resounded loudly.

Spyro looked behind him and noticed a growling jackal with a human body. He carried two war scythes and wore relatively light armor.

"An Anubis guardian. I thought you guys were nothing but creatures that exist in myth," Spyro said with narrow eyes.

"We once existed as Anubis's warriors, serving to guide souls of the dead to the God of the Dead. The day Malefor destroyed Anubis, we were forced to pledge our allegiance to him. For many centuries, we were forced to do his will and we have been reaping unwilling souls to power the Well of Souls. Malefor's brief return to this realm serves only as a distraction for us while we do his plans quietly. We have been envoys, calling on the warring Fell Creatures to unite once Malefor was sealed back," the guardian said in a deep guttural tone.

"If you have been forced to pledge allegiance to Malefor, why follow him? Do you not have a will of your own?" Spyro asked.

"Alas, our will is tied to Anubis so when Anubis was destroyed, we have no one to pledge our allegiance to except Malefor for he is the one who killed our former master. We may harbor resentment for him but we can do nothing to harm him. He has…become far more powerful than you can ever imagine. Now, with the coming of the Night of Eternal Darkness and with our master's will growing stronger each day, not even you, the Chosen One, can stop him from returning to this world permanently. Even you cannot resist Malefor's dark influence that has spread across these lands," the guardian said as he pointed his right scythe at Spyro.

"I have beaten Malefor once and I will beat him again. If he threatens this world, I will stop him," Spyro growled.

The guardian gave a guttural laugh and snarled. "Fool! Malefor, like us, is but a tool used by the ruinous powers to end life in this realm. Unlike us, Malefor is the prime tool and so are you. The humans foresaw this fate but you prideful dragons refuse to heed their words. Now, with that false prophecy in the mind of dragons, they will never see destruction coming. I for one will relish in your quick downfall."

Spyro roared and dashed towards the guardian. He tried to bash the guardian but the agile guardian jumped about and avoided all of Spyro's attacks. The guardian did some attacks of his own but Spyro evaded them too. When the guardian swung his left scythe at Spyro, the purple dragon used his horns and deflected it aside. This gave him an opening and Spyro chained up multiple horn attacks at the guardian until he fell to the ground.

"You're not done yet, are you?" Spyro taunted.

"No," the guardian replied and got up, "that attack of yours is barely worth a scratch."

"Then maybe I'll just have to pound you harder. Don't regret it," Spyro said.

* * *

"_As if from a deep slumber…from whose eyes do I see? Who does this cursed face belong to? I can hardly hear the vague voice calling, like a scream echoing from afar," _Hunter sang while polishing his sword.

"What song are you singing, Hunter? I've never heard such music sung by our ancestors before," Prowlus said.

Hunter put down his sword and looked at Prowlus. "It's a song composed by humans during the closing years of the Third Age. It's a song of lamentation and despair but it was sung in Middle Aurelian rather than English."

"So what's the title of the song you just sung?"

"_Koĭ sŭm az?_"

"Which means?"

"Who am I?"

Prowlus nodded his head and went back to surveying the surroundings. The sounds of water lapping against the shore were relaxing but Prowlus just could not get himself to relax. At current speed, it would take them a while before they could reach the seas and sail for Port Town. The smaller moon was now in the middle of the night sky and the ship had already been attacked fifteen times by rogue creatures jumping out from the forest and onto their ship. Even now, their blood still stained the deck and the nauseating smell was making everyone uncomfortable.

"How's that infected canine doing?" Prowlus asked a cheetah guard.

"He seems to be asleep. I guess there is some humanity left in them," the guard answered while observing the tied up canine soldier.

"He's better thank us later for putting us through so much trouble. Make sure he's tied up nice and tight," Prowlus ordered.

Looking up at the skies, Prowlus saw Terrador looking around for signs of trouble. He looked fatigued but the earth guardian did not complain.

"Terrador, why not come down and rest your wings? You look tired," Prowlus called out.

"I would love to but I'm afraid that the boat will not support my weight. Don't worry about me, this dragon still have some youth in him," Terrador said with a rare smile.

"Don't push yourself. If you fall from the skies and crash into our boat, that'll be the death of us," Prowlus warned.

Terrador dare not admit it but he was really tired. His wings were trembling badly and he knew that if he tried to land on the boat, it would not support his weight and sink. He then surprised everyone on board by landing on the right bank of the river.

"Terrador, what're you doing?" Hunter called out.

"I just need to catch a breath. I'll catch up with you later," Terrador replied.

"Don't fall behind. We can't protect you if those creatures attack you," Hunter said.

"I'll be fine. I can fend them off myself."

The boat turned left at a river bend and disappeared out of sight. Terrador found some wild herbs growing by the river bank and crushed them into paste. He massaged his aching wings with it.

"Oh….yeah…Dragon's Tongue never felt this good before," Terrador said with a relaxed look.

While Terrador massaged his wings, he did not see someone creep up towards him. Just as Terrador was about to wash his hands, something smacked him in the back of his head.

"What in Ancestors was that?" he asked himself and turned around.

He found himself looking at a golden dragonfly.

"Well, well, if it isn't big ol' Terry. How're ye doing?" Sparx said in a friendly way.

"Sparx, I hadn't seen you for a long time," Terrador said.

"Yeah, well, I was feeling lonely because Spyro isn't here. Dunno what you did to him but after he left, I figured that it's better for me to travel the world and smell the flowers," Sparx said.

Terrador raised an eye ridge at that statement.

"I didn't mean smelling flowers literally. I miss Spyro but it's no point wasting time staying in the same place thinking about him. I hitched a ride to other continents," Sparx explained.

"You decided to take a world trip when the world is in danger?" Terrador growled.

"Hey whoa, easy there big boy, someone's gotta make do of the time. You see, I was afraid at first, alone and unwanted in a distant land," Sparx said dramatically. "I couldn't find any of my kind in other nations but I met a dragoness kind enough to take me in. She was a traveler and boy was she a hottie…ahem, according to dragon standards of course," Sparx said with a blush.

"Yeah, and I'm King of the Aurelian Empire," Terrador snorted.

"I'm serious, man. If you don't believe me, she's right here to prove it," Sparx said.

"As if I…"

Terrador stopped midsentence when a dragoness emerged from the forest. She was visibly annoyed at Sparx but her eyes widened when she saw Terrador.

"Terrador!"

"Collette!"

The two embraced each other and Terrador was visibly pained and happy at the same time.

"Whoa, you two know each other?" Sparx interrupted.

"I knew her since we were hatchlings, Sparx," Terrador said. "I never thought I'd see her again after I became a guardian. Last I heard, she told me she was going to marry a dragon warrior."

"I did but that was ten years ago. He died in combat with the orcs before he got a chance to marry me. After Malefor's demise, I travelled the world to ease my mind. I met Sparx wandering around the city of Antares," Collette explained.

"Okay, I admit it. I got a bit lost and I don't know how I ended up on the ship sailing to Antares. Still, you got a nice gal, Terrador. She's as kind as a lamb," Sparx said.

"I'm not all that nice, Sparx," she said with an evil grin.

"Eep," Sparx squeaked.

"Ha ha, that's the Colette I know," Terrador said with a laugh. "It's a fancy meeting you out here in the middle of nowhere."

"I could say the same to you. So what're you doing all the way here anyway?" Colette asked.

"Well…it's a long story so I'll make it as short as possible. You see, Warfang has been conquered by our Fell brethren. The temple guardians have scattered and with the imminent return of the Night of Eternal Darkness, the world may soon come to an end. Spyro is not here to save us anymore so we're on our own," Terrador explained sadly.

Colette gave a sad look because she knew the guardians were the closest friends Terrador had since graduating from the dragon academy. Sure they looked like a mismatched team but they always did things together and Terrador was always the one to play tough guy. To see him broken like this…

"C'mon, big guy, let's not get sad. We're still alive and you're back with your childhood friend. What more do you want? A new castle?" Sparx asked with crossed hands.

Terrador turned to Collette and said, "I'd be happy if this world wasn't about to come to an end. Collette, it's dangerous out here. I don't know how you got past those creatures in the forest but we better find a safe place in Port Town."

"I think you underestimate me, Terry. I was attacked but if you call a bunch of crazed warthogs and cannibal deer dangerous, I seriously doubt your ability to fight," Colette teased.

Terrador's face was red with embarrassment. He never liked it when Colette questioned his fighting capabilities…and he dare not admit that she had beaten him many times when they were younger.

"Yeah well, the environment is dangerous and I'm not as youthful as I was many decades ago. I was supposed to follow a boat to the Shining Seas but my wings gave way," Terrador said.

"So it seems," Collette said while looking down the river. "I guess we better go catch it then."

"I'm with you, sister. The forests give me the creeps," Sparx said.

As much as Terrador did not like Sparx's sense of humor, he was the only thing that reminded him of Spyro. After relaxing for a while, the three took off.

* * *

Spyro had the upper hand in the battle against the corrupt Anubis guardian. After fighting it for a while, Spyro found an attack pattern which he can use to exploit and knock it off balance.

"You know, for a creature claimed to be powerful, you're not exactly a good fighter," Spyro commented.

"That is because I'm merely holding back. I'm only buying us time," the Anubis guardian said.

Spyro heard the dragon goddess's cry of pain mixed combined with the roar of a dark creature. The purple dragon began to panic and nturned to glare at the Anubis guardian.

"Yes, the corruption is almost complete and when it is done, we will have an agent in the heavens to prevent divine intervention in this realm. Go on, Spyro, stop that if you can," the guardian taunted.

Spyro knew that time was running out and he cannot waste anymore time fighting the Anubis guardian. Instead and ran towards the bone wall and rammed it hard.

"Try all you want, dragon, but you can't break it," the Anubis guardian remarked.

Again, Spyro decided to tap the strength of his dark side. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Spyro could not risk the heavens being invaded by dark forces. Cynder is there and if he cannot save her in this realm, he will at least make up for it by saving her in paradise, even if it means using his dark powers. Spyro's body emitted a dark aura and once again, his eyes turned white and with a mighty roar, he dashed towards the bone wall at ungodly speeds with dark flames emitting from his horns. When his horn charge made contact with the bone wall, the entire wall shattered into a million bone fragments from end to end.

"No!"

Spyro ignored the guardian and ran towards Yir'usani. She was chained to a stone pillar and black conduits ran around it, giving out a malicious glow. Spyro almost did not recognize the goddess for her corruption had advanced to a stage where her appearance started to change. She was putting up a valiant resistance though, fighting back the darkness that tainted her.

"Hold on, I'll set you free," Spyro said.

He pulled at the steel chains, burned them, bit them and even tried freezing them but the chains were obviously no ordinary chains for if they were, they would have broken by now. Spyro tried to look for the end point of the chain but to his surprise, the chain has no end at all.

"What the hell is this trickery?" Spyro wondered.

"Spyro, hurry! I…can't…hold on much longer!" Yir'usani cried out.

"Geez, how am I supposed to get rid of these chains?" Spyro wondered angrily.

"There's no way you can break the chains that I set, dragon. Face it, you're just wasting your time," the Anubis guardian said when he caught up with Spyro.

Spyro looked at the guardian's twin scythes. If he is the one that bound Yir'usani, he should be the one that can free her as well. Those scythes look like the answer.

"Yeah, maybe I'm not doing this right," Spyro said. "Don't mind lending me one your scythes."

Spyro bashed him and whacked the guardian with his tail. He succeeded in knocking the guardian off balance and with a claw swipe, Spyro knocked on of the scythe out of the Anubis guardian's hands.

"Finders keepers," Spyro said as he grabbed the scythe.

Spyro slashed the chains with the scythe and sure enough, the chains broke and the dragon goddess freed herself but she could not shake off the taint that crept into her essence. Spyro saw that the pillar was the one supplying the corruption so he whacked it, burned it and bashed it up. The pillar cracked and shattered into hundreds of pieces under the constant attacks.

"That should do it," Spyro said with a satisfied grin.

The essence of Yir'usani cleansed quickly and Spyro thought she smiled at him and gave him a wink before dissipating into tiny particles. Spyro seemed unimpressed.

"That's it? Not even a thank you?"

"You fool, you've ruined our chances of invading the heavens!" the Anubis guardian snarled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Spyro remarked sarcastically. "I thought you said I had done nothing useful. Perhaps that little thing I did would tell you to shut up the next time you try to insult someone."

Spyro rammed into the Anubis guardian and pushed him over the cliff. The Anubis guardian fell into the chasm and was gone forever. Spyro looked down and gave a snort.

"Perhaps bottomless pits have their uses too," Spyro remarked.

Suddenly, the cavern started to rumble and rocks fell from the earthen ceiling.

"Oh, c'mon, why does it all have to end with the cave caving in?" Spyro exclaimed.

Spyro couldn't fly across the chasm and the floating platforms never resurfaced from the chasm. The purple dragon shook his head.

"It's funny to think that after surviving so many dangerous enemies, you'd be killed by a cave in," Spyro said to himself.

One portion of the ceiling crumbled and revealed a hole to the surface. The light from the morning sun was very welcoming and Spyro said a silent prayer of thanks before flying out through the hole. After exiting the hole, the entire mesa sunk and threw up a dust cloud.

"Good riddance for that godforsaken place. Let's see if Yir'usani is back at her shrine," Spyro said.

True enough, when he returned to the shrine, the whole spirit of Yir'usani was there beside her statue. Her smile was so warm that it felt like spiritual sunshine and it soothed Spyro's darkened soul.

"Blessed are you, young dragon. You have saved my being from turning into an agent of darkness. Forgive me for not thanking you earlier," Yir'usani said.

"It's nothing actually," Spyro said bashfully as he was awestruck by her unearthly beauty.

"I know what you want, Spyro. I can see that your soul has been tormented and slowly being corrupted by your dark side. I cannot fully cleanse your dark side but I can hinder its ability to take control of you," Yir'usani explained.

She emitted a white aura and Spyro felt something materialize around his neck. When he looked downwards, he saw that he was wearing a golden amulet, just like the one Ignitus gave him earlier but more elaborate and heavier.

"Behold, this is the Locket and Sanctity. Only the ones who are in dire need of it will receive it. As long as you wear it, your dark side can never take control of you. Be wary though, your dark side can still communicate with you so do not let it entice you into doing anything that will endanger your life. The locket is a very fragile thing so be sure to keep it away from sources of corruption such as Convexity Pools, Blood Fountains, Dark Runes and any flora and fauna tainted by darkness. Once the locket is tainted, it will shatter," Yir'usani warned grimly.

"So what about the Night of Eternal Darkness? Isn't that a source of corruption as well?"

"Yes, it is so it is advisable to stay away from it. Go indoors when it happens and ride out the storm. Once it is over, seek out my shrine again and I will absorb your dark side into the locket. That will free you forever from the curse you now have.

"Couldn't you do it now?"

"Alas, darkness is picking up momentum and I cannot guarantee that your future will be that hopeful. If you follow what I say, everything should be fine. I cannot cleanse you now because the power of darkness in this world is too strong and I cannot fully work my powers in the mortal world."

"The world hates me, doesn't it," Spyro said.

Yir'usani chuckled. "No, we all go through trials. We just need to use the best method to overcome it. Take care of yourself, Spyro, guard that locket and return to after the Night of Eternal Darkness. May the blessings of the Pantheon be upon you," she said and her spirit became a thin wisp and flew to the heavens.

Spyro stood there and stared at the statue for a while before leaving the place.

"Yep, just another day for Spyro the dragon. I better return to Colton and check on the dragoness. I hope she's fine," Spyro said.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the slow upload and once again, I want to thank you all for your reviews. Also, I have yet to name this dragoness so I'm giving you readers a chance to name her. Just PM me a name and I'll select the name I like best. If you want, you can add in several additional details such as age, home city and so on. Do keep the reviews coming so I can improve my story where it needs improving.**

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_Flashback…_

"_Spyro, have you ever heard of the Bridging Stars?" Cynder asked Spyro one night._

_Spyro followed Cynder's gaze and saw two very bright stars in the sky with faint stars in between them, forming what seemed like an arching bridge._

"_Caladonia and Mercia," Spyro said. "Two of the brightest stars during the autumn equinox. It's the symbol of everlasting love and unity. What about it?"_

"_There is a legend regarding Prince Caladonia of the Western Aurelian Empire and Mercia, a young dragoness peasant living in Wyvern's Way. It was outright forbidden for a prince to fall in love with a peasant, much less a dragon. Mercia and Caladonia loved each other even though one was a dragon and the other was a human. Their relationship was not approved by both families but both refused to part. Seeing that his son did not obey orders, the King had his soldiers burn Wyvern's Way to the ground, thus sparking the Xentia-Archon Wars. He wanted Mercia killed but Caladonia threw himself into the line of fire…and was killed by his father's rifleman," Cynder narrated._

_Spyro looked at Cynder's face and saw melancholy and sorrow. It was as if she was Mercia and reminiscing back on what happened to the prince._

"_What happened next?" Spyro asked as his curiosity was piqued._

"_Well, Mercia soon fell into depression and contemplated suicide. However, she was visited by the spirit of her lover and he guided her to glory and victory in the war. She was revered by dragons and the Eastern Aurelian Empire for standing up against the tyranny of the Western Aurelian Empire. However, her battle against the empire resulted in her death. In the end, the Western Empire crushed both the dragons and its eastern counterpart even though the two put up a valiant defense."_

"_So…they commemorated their sacrifice by naming two stars after them."_

"_If you read the story "Star Ocean" by Volteer, you'll find a more detailed story," Cynder said with a soft smile._

_Spyro raised an eye ridge._

"_Volteer writes romance stories?" he asked._

_Cynder nodded her head and said, "Yes, he does and he's good at it. Pretty surprising for a dragon that blabs a lot."_

"_You tell me," Spyro replied with a snort._

_Cynder kissed Spyro in the cheek and leaned close to him._

"_Spyro, let me make a promise here and now. Like Prince Caladonia, I will never leave you even after death. Not like it will happen…but I want you to know that I am always there for you," Cynder said softly._

"_Cynder, it would be better if both of us can keep that promise. That way, it'll be fair."_

_Flashback end…_

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Spyro looked at the evening sky. He saw the Bridging Stars but unlike back then, the stars now looked dull. It was as if…as if they were feeling sad for the world. Spyro could imagine himself sitting on an open field with Cynder and gazing at the stars…like what they did when she was alive. The purple dragon closed his eyes and took a deep breath and let it go before opening his eyes. The sun was setting over the mountains and while the upper half of the sky was dark, the lower half of the sky was dull orange as the sun retreated behind the mountains. Soon, darkness would engulf the sky.

"Cynder…" Spyro muttered.

Suddenly, Spyro started having distorted vision and quick flashes of past events. His head hurt so badly that he felt like banging his head against a tree. He saw events ranging from his birth to the defeat of Cynder, Gaul and Malefor. Spyro also heard the voice of his dark side.

"You fought Cynder…you won and gained a partner in life. You fought Gaul…you won and sealed the fate of the Apes forever. You fought Malefor…you won but you sealed your doom…a doom that will cost you not only the world but the salvation of your soul as well," the voice said and echoed through his mind.

"Stop, make it stop! Argh! The pain!" Spyro cried out while grabbing his head. "Stop tormenting my mind!"

The pain was giving him quite a nausea but Spyro held in the urge to throw up. It took a lot of effort but to will the pain away. He noticed his amulet glowing brightly, as if warning him about something. Spyro looked around and saw several pools of dark liquid emitting shimmering heat waves. Spyro tried to go near them but every time he did, his headache would pierce his mind.

"I see…it's like a warning. Those pools…" Spyro muttered, "are those Convexity Pools?"

Curious, Spyro attempted to go near them but his amulet would glow and cause him headaches. Unable get near them, Spyro went away and ignored the pools. It was odd because he never saw such pools before even when Malefor still walked the earth. Spyro did not like it and made a mental note to ask the Councilors about it.

As he made his way back to Colton while softly singing an old tune his foster parents used to sing to him when he was young, Spyro saw smoke rising from the distance. It came from Colton and the young dragon knew something was wrong. Without stopping for a breath, Spyro ran and headed for the canine town. When he arrived, a horrible sight greeted his eyes. The town was in flames and sounds of weapons clashing and gunfire filled the air. Several fireballs flew from within the town over the walls. One nearly smashed into Spyro but he deftly rolled aside and avoided being burnt.

"What in Ancestors happened here?" Spyro exclaimed.

He ran past the burning gates and just as he crossed the gates, the burning arch over the gates crumbled and crushed the gates, creating an impassable burning pile of rubble. Seeing no way out of the town, Spyro went forth to investigate. Dead bodies of civilians and soldiers littered the street and Spyro found weapons he has never seen before lying on the cobblestone ground. It was made of wood and metal and it was long but not sharp points. It had a trigger too though it looked nothing like a crossbow.

"Whatever this is, it doesn't look like its safe to toy around with," Spyro noted.

He did not notice someone taking aim at him. A loud explosion sounded and something ricocheted near Spyro's feet. Looking at the roof of a house, Spyro saw a ranger canine aiming at him with the same weapon he found on the ground. Spyro flew onto the roof and fought the ranger. The dragon fought tooth and nail with him until Spyro knocked him to the ground and stabbed his heart, killing the ranger.

"I better get to the mayor. Maybe he knows what's going on."

It was hard to get to the mayor's hall because fighting on the street was intense as the canines fought against themselves with everything ranging from rolling pins and kitchen knives to swords and halberds. The town was in utter chaos and in a blood-stained alleyway was the doctor Spyro met earlier.

"Hell broke loose while you were gone, Spyro. The mayor ordered every citizen in this town to be executed. His reason is that the town harbors traitors that are preparing to assault the town," the doctor said when he saw Spyro.

"What do you mean by that?" Spyro asked as he approached the doctor.

"To put things simply, the mayor has gone mad. I had just enough time to drag your friend away into this alley before the mayor's guards could get to me," the doctor said and groaned in pain.

Spyro looked down and saw that his left hip was bleeding.

"You're hurt! You better lie down," Spyro exclaimed.

"No! My duty…is to save lives. This is but a flash wound…I'll be fine. Just get to the mayor and put an end to his madness," the doctor groaned while attempting to treat a wounded patient.

"You're the one who's mad. You must rest or you'll suffer blood loss! There's no point in saving lives if you're dead."

The doctor was silent for a few seconds, his face pale and blood dripped from his mouth. Finally, the doctor nodded his head and agreed.

"You're right, Spyro…it's useless to save lives if I'm dead. Listen…I'm suffering from internal bleeding as well and I cannot operate on myself. Go back to my clinic and get my doctor's bag and first aid kit. There should be some supplies that can help staunch the bleeding and numb the pain. You better hurry…I'm not sure how much longer I can hold," the doctor grunted.

Spyro obliged and fought his way to the clinic. The canines seem crazed with bloodlust as they killed at each other without caring who they were fighting against. Spyro had several close encounters but he was thankful for the years of combat experience gathered from past combats. The canines were strong but without unity, Spyro defeated them with ease.

"These guys are nuts! Where're their reasoning?" Spyro exclaimed.

The sounds of distant gunfire and fires crackling over timber and hay gave Spyro a sense of devastation. Not that he never heard such sounds before (except gunfire), it's just that with so much death and destruction going on, it was as if his senses to these sounds of death were sharper. Spyro stopped near a dying canine as he tried to gasp for air. His throat was bleeding and several crossbow bolts and bullet holes were present on his abdomen.

"Spyro…you've…returned," the wounded canine said.

"What happened here? What did the mayor do to make this happen?" Spyro asked quickly.

The canine pointed towards the mayor's hall with a broken finger.

"That bastard…he caused all of this to happen…he felt that it…was time to strike," the canine said weakly.

"Strike? What do you mean by that? What's he up to?"

"The gates…the super gates," the canine muttered and died after drawing his last breath.

Spyro closed the dead canine's eyes and looked at the mayor's hall. If he was up to something, Spyro will make sure he will pay for what he has done. His headache returned to torment him but the sensation went away quickly.

"The mayor will answer for this but I'll deal with him later," Spyro growled.

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"Ivan, have you seen Spyro? I've wanted to talk to him," Aeron said when he saw Ivan looking around the temple.

The rodent's nose twitched and a worried look appeared on his face. Aeron bit the tip of his pipe and looked out of the window.

"He isn't here, am I right?" Aeron asked softly.

"Spyro wanted to seek a way to suppress his dark side so I sent him to the Shrine of Yir'usani. He should be back by now," Ivan answered.

Aeron creased his eye ridge when he heard Ivan mention the shrine.

"Ivan, you do know that the shrine has been corrupted for quite some time now. You should know better than to send him there. Who knows what will corrupt his soul further," Aeron said sternly.

"It was corrupted?" Ivan asked with widened eyes.

Aeron groaned and shook his head.

"I've told you this before, Ivan. You must've forgotten about it. Do you not know that you may have sent him to his doom?"

"I…I really did not know! If I did, I wouldn't have recommended him!"

"Listen…just listen," Aeron said when Ivan tried to explain himself. "We're all mortals and we're prone to mistakes. If we have made a wrong decision, it is our duty to right it."

"What should I do?" the rodent asked nervously.

Before Aeron could come up with something, a blue wisp flew into the temple through the window and circled around Aeron's head. It seemed to whisper something inaudible to Ivan's ears but clear to Aeron.

"I see…" Aeron said with a weak smile. "It seems like Spyro cleansed the shrine. That young dragon continues to surprise me."

The wisp continued to whisper something and Aeron's face slowly changed from a slight smile to an expression of worry and fear. Ivan could tell it was not good news.

"Ivan, gather the Dragon Council now. We have a grave situation in our hands," Aeron said grimly and ran out of the temple.

It was past midnight and everyone was asleep. Needless to say, the other councilors were not exactly happy to be woken up from their beauty sleep.

"What is the meaning of this, Aeron? You do know its past midnight," Melkor grumbled.

"I apologize for waking you all from your slumber but my sprite has reported to me saying that the enemy has begun activating the minor Convexity Gates," Aeron said when he saw everyone present in the meeting hall.

"So, it has begun," Frost muttered.

"Yes but to activate minor gates will not be easy. The gates require souls of dark creatures and even with all Fell Creatures combined, there will not be enough souls to activate all seven gates even if all Fell Creatures are killed. I have theorized that corrupting the souls of innocent victims will do to add more soul count into the gates. To do that requires the power of dark crystals," Aeron explained.

"And that means many cities, towns and villages are at stake…" Aqua added.

"That will not happen!" Ferrus exclaimed. "The Valencia Continent is still in the hands of the Alliance and the twelve cities lining the Azura Coast are still standing! There is no way the Hydrian Chain will break that easily."

"Ferrus, I understand that the Hydrian Chain is near impenetrable but there is a major flaw the enemy can exploit and that is their tunnel system. It's supposed to ease troop transfer from one coastal city to the other without exposing convoys to enemy attacks but if the enemy breaks the Hydrian Sea Wall, the tunnels will be flooded and that will greatly hinder reinforcements. When that happens, the cities will be overrun," Aeron remarked.

The councilors looked at Aeron with worried looks. The enemy motives were getting clearer but they still have no information on whether Port Town was still there or captured by the Fell Creatures. Still, the silence coming from the town at the tip of continent was disturbing.

"I can only pray that Port Town is still in Alliance hands. If not, the Fell Creatures will use it as a base to strike the Azura Coast. When that happens…I will have to perform the ritual to call upon the Assai'rah. I will not risk anymore cities following the footsteps of Warfang…even if it costs me my life," Aeron said with closed eyes.

The other councilors gasped with horror. They knew that the ritual will most likely kill Aeron if he summoned the spirit dragon warriors. Not only that, this is a one-shot move and every movement counts for the spirits are the ones that are keeping the mountain city safe from corruption. If darkness still remains in the surrounding area, it can taint the city since the spirits are not there to guard against it.

"Aeron, don't do it. There are too many uncertainties and risks. If you fail to accomplish what you want to accomplish, you'll put us all in jeopardy and your life will go to waste," Frost remarked.

The air dragon gave his fellow councilor a glare and Frost kept quiet.

"We swore an oath never to interfere directly with what is happening to this world but I cannot stand doing nothing while the world around me is slowly being corrupted. I admit that I'm getting desperate but if we can make this count, then my death will be worth it," Aeron growled.

"It's not about being worth it or not! You're putting us on the line and risk corrupting a place designated as Dragon Realm's last sanctuary for something you think that may or may not succeed! What if you died and still unable to cleanse the darkness with the Assai'rah? This city will not only stand in corruption's way it will also mean that the last defense against darkness will be gone perhaps forever! Darkness is gaining momentum and you know that. The fact that the enemy is harvesting dark crystals to corrupt more souls so that they can fuel the Convexity Gates and summon the Convexity Supergate means we're losing. We're relying on a purple dragon with a darkened soul for crying out loud and he's done nothing much to help our situation!" Frost said angrily.

Aeron was usually a cool-headed dragon but with situation moving from bad to worse, his cool-headedness was easily replaced with anger. A scowl showed on Aeron's face.

"Spyro has done many things for us in the past and that includes doing his best to avert our current situation! We owe him a lot and we have done only a bit of it by offering him a place to stay and we're going to owe him a lot more for asking him to help us! I hate to admit it but we're making him look like our errand boy. When the world broke apart, I thought it was going to be the end of us but he saved our scales. Can you do that, Frost? Can you do what Spyro and Cynder did back then? If he's willing to sacrifice himself to save our hides, what about us? I'm not doing this for glory but for the good of us all! I still put my trust in Spyro…even if he has been tainted, he is still the symbol of hope. You do not call someone stupid just because he did several idiotic things. I will reconsider if situation changes but do not expect me to change my mind if situation calls for the Assai'rah," Aeron remarked with a growl.

"Aeron…"

"Not another word from you, Frost. I will not change my mind. I have this planned out."

"Do not…"

"I will not tolerate insubordination, Frost. Have some trust in others."

Frost still wanted to argue but the other councilors calmed him down and the ice dragon only gave Aeron a deadly glare, which was returned by Aeron. The tension between the two was so strong that it could have started a fire but after ten seconds, Frost looked away and sighed.

"You are the leader. I will not argue with you. I'm trying to stop you not because I don't trust you…it's because I've known you for many centuries now and you're my closest friend. I wouldn't want to see you go away just like that," Frost muttered.

Aeron's face softened and a look of pity was etched on his face. He walked towards Frost and placed a paw on his back.

"Frost, I've known you to be a reasonable dragon and please think about our situation now and have a little faith in me. I believe that summoning the Assai'rah can help our current situation and even if darkness remains, I believe Spyro will be there to help us. He can't do this alone…so it's up to us to do our part and assist him," Aeron said softly.

Frost mumbled something inaudible and went away. The other councilors kept quiet as they watched Frost exit the hall.

"Unless someone has a better idea, speak now or I'll be going with my idea and don't even think about putting yourself in my place. Only the lead councilor can summon the Assai'rah," Aeron said as he looked at the others.

Ferrus stepped forward and cleared his throat. "The situation at the Azura Coast is not yet dire but we cannot take any chances. To prevent the coastal cities from falling, I suggest we requisition additional troops from continents that are not directly threatened by the forces of darkness."

They went to the table and Ferrus took out a map of the world from a cupboard. He laid it on the table and spread it open like a scroll.

"Our continent is already in trouble so there's no need for us to send forces to Valencia. There are two continents that are still not in danger of being overrun by the enemy and those are the Draconia Continent and Lurnhast Continent. Draconia and Lurnhast are both enclosed by the Valencia Continent so it is possible for them to send reinforcements to the coastal cities quickly," Ferrus explained while tracing his finger on the map.

"Yes…but there's a problem. We're not telepaths and we do not know what the enemy is thinking. You see, it may look like as if the enemy is planning to strike via the coastal cities…but then, it is possible that they are planning to strike Draconia and Lurnhast, allowing them to completely bypass the coastal cities and strike Valencia from the bottom. In the end, Ferrus, we still do not know much about the enemy yet," Melkor argued.

"So what are you suggesting we do? Wait until it happens?" Aqua asked.

"That would be too late. I suggest we send out sprites throughout the world and have them spy on the enemy. I don't care if we have to send a thousand of them but I say we need to act now and gather intelligence," Melkor answered.

"But that would mean directly interfering with the outside world," Blitz said.

Melkor gave Blitz a scowl.

"Look, for the past century, I've always felt that the rule of "not allowed to help the world directly" is bullshit. Don't you see? We're in a dire situation and this whole world is getting messed up big time. We have the ability to help the outside world…so why not help them? We're still mortals after all; not demi-gods or gods and goddesses. We're their representatives but mortal nonetheless. I, for one, agree with Aeron that we must do all we can to help. Screw the rules set by the ancients," Melkor growled.

The others looked at each other and muttered in agreement over what Melkor said. Then, they looked at Aeron for a verdict. He looked at his councilors and nodded his head.

"Yes…Melkor is right. If anyone disagrees, you may voice your opinion now," Aeron said a bit louder this time.

No one spoke and everyone kept their faces straight. Aeron took it as a sign that they all agreed on Melkor's decision.

"If there are no disagreements, let us plan our intelligence gathering scheme," Aeron said.

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Spyro decided not to investigate the town hall first. He had to save the doctor and he was thankful that he did not forget where the clinic was located. It was already on fire but the ground floor was safe from the flames, for now that is. The purple dragon quickly entered the clinic and retrieved the doctor's bag. It felt as heavy as an adamantine orb as it was full of medical items, vials and kits. Spyro held the bag's handle using his mouth like how he did with the adamantine orb and walked out of the clinic. He was careful when moving about as he did not want to spoil anything inside. Spyro returned to the alleyway and put the bag beside the doctor.

"Thank you, Spyro, I must admit that I'm glad that you came along to help out," the doctor said while searching his bag for the right medication.

He took out a rectangular bottle of light blue liquid with the words _"Aqua Blue" _written on the bottle's label. The doctor popped off the cork and drained the bottle with a single swig.

"What was that you just took?" Spyro asked.

"It's what we doctors call Aqua Blue. It's basically a medicine made from the spring waters from the Vale of Light river, several crushed herbs and bits of silver. It tastes almost like gin," the doctor said with a smile. "The tonic can help staunch my bleeding and help promote some healing but it's no permanent cure. Still, it's sufficient."

The doctor threw the bottle away and stood up. Even when the bleeding had stopped, the doctor hunched over in pain and his right hand was still grabbing his stomach as if he was having a stomach ache.

"Follow me, I'll lead you to your friend. Help me pick up the bag too."

Spyro obliged and picked up the bag. The doctor led him to a dead end where the dragoness Spyro rescued earlier was lying on a crudely made cardboard mat. Her side bled from a bullet hole though it did not seem bad.

"She'll be fine. I've given her some anesthetic so she'll be out for some time. With my bag, I should have the items needed to deal with that bullet wound," the doctor said.

The doctor washed his hands in a well nearby and reached for his bag. Spyro looked on with curiosity and disgust as he watched the doctor operate on the dragoness. Skillfully and deftly, the doctor removed the bullet, cleaned the wound and sewed it back up.

"You're good at this," Spyro commented.

"I am a doctor with ten years of experience after all. Saving lives have always been my duty and always will be but when situation calls for it, I will take someone's life to defend myself," the doctor remarked darkly and grabbed a musket lying next to the dragoness.

Spyro looked at the weapon and pointed at it. His nose twitched when he smelt a horrible smell coming emitting from the weapon.

"What do you call these long wooden things?" Spyro asked.

'These," the doctor said and patted his weapon, "is called a musket. Humans love this weapon because it is more powerful than a crossbow. It's an inaccurate weapon and its best used in large volleys. Muskets are accurate at short ranges," the canine answered and reloaded his weapon.

Spyro noticed that reloading the musket was a rather tedious process. He did not understand why they even bother using it. First, he had to insert some sort of black powder before putting in a small metal ball into it. Then the doctor pushed it in with a stick before it was ready.

"You know, I still prefer to use my breath attacks more than that junk," Spyro said bitterly.

"You dragons have natural range attacks but we don't," the doctor shot back. "Besides, I doubt dragons can use muskets since it requires two hands to use."

"Touché," Spyro said with a weak smile.

Spyro heard footsteps echoing throughout the alleyway and stood ready. He knew that it was trouble. The young dragon let out a growl and went into a battle stance.

"Fancy stumbling upon some strays," the doctor commented.

Suddenly, three hooded figures appeared and one of them had an ominous-looking staff with a tip made from dark crystals. Spyro gasped in horror when he saw it.

"No…this cannot be true," Spyro muttered.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

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**A/N: Once again, I'd like to thank all of you readers for reading my story. I know it isn't the best and I'm sure that mistakes still exist but I've put quite some effort into it. It'll be nice to gain some feedback from you all. Oh, sorry for the late updates, I wasn't in the mood for writing stories and I suffered from writer's block.**

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Volteer was lost. He was in the middle of nowhere and just a day ago, he lost sight of Cyril after he escaped from Caradas. The annual snow storm was approaching fast and visibility was getting poorer by the hour.

"A behemoth task for an octogenarian dragon…well, I'm not that old but still…this is just too much," Volteer said to himself.

The lightning guardian nearly fell into a deep crevasse after stepping on thin ice. Luckily, he grabbed onto the edge of the crevasse and pulled himself up. Looking into it, Volteer saw an underground rapid with churning white water splashing against ice and rocks protruding from the river bed.

"That could've been the end of me if I hadn't leapt in time," Volteer muttered. "Thank the Ancestors I did."

Cyril could not have gone far in these dangerous territories but then again, a demon-possessed dragon can do many things a normal dragon cannot. Even so, a great snow storm can severely hinder a dragon's flight ability whether he or she is possessed or not. He could not have gone far.

"If only I can determine where I am, that should make things a lot easier for me," Volteer commented.

Icicles were forming at the tip of his snout and wings, making it hard for him to concentrate and move. Any attempts to remove them were painful so Volteer left them alone, though it weighed down on him as more icicles accumulated on different parts of his body. As Volteer's steps became slower and heavier, he stepped on thin ice again and this time, he fell into a sinkhole. Unable to spread his wings to slow his fall, Volteer landed on the ground below with a loud crunch coming from his wings and left hind leg. He cried out in pain.

"Damn…what did I do to deserve this?" Volteer said with tears in his eyes.

Struggling to get up only induced more pain and Volteer gave up on moving. He thought it was all over for him so he closed his eyes and waited to be buried by snow. As the dragon's thoughts wandered off, he eventually went into a slumber. While he slept, a mole appeared from a tunnel he made in the sinkhole's wall. Unlike the moles that lived in Warfang, this one had thicker fur and wore cold resistant clothing.

"What do we have here?" the mole wondered when he saw a half frozen dragon.

The mole felt Volteer's face and looked back at his comrades who appeared from the tunnel.

"He's injured and freezing to death. Bring him to our place so we can have him recuperate," the mole said.

"You know that we're not allowed to help overlanders, Zarak. Leave him be lest our elders have us exiled because of this," one of the mole's friends said.

"Would you like it if you're injured and no one saves you? If you don't, come over here and give me a hand. Our tunneling expedition can continue later after we send him to our city for medical aid," Zarak remarked.

The moles obliged and five moles helped carry Volteer while two of them made a bigger tunnel so that Volteer could fit. They had to stop several times to catch their breaths because it was no easy task for moles to carry dragons and their city was still quite some distance away. The team could not reach the city within a day so Zarak had them rest near an underground river. While the team prepared for dinner, Volteer awoke and groaned in pain.

"Why is it so dark in here? Am I dead?" Volteer said aloud.

He felt a snowball splat at his face and sat up quickly, only to lie on the ground again because of his injuries. Volteer saw a mole looking at him while others ignored him.

"You're lucky to have survive such a drop, overlander. If that hole were a little bit deeper, we could've found you in pieces," Zarak said.

"Moles…this far north? Fascinating," Volteer commented.

"There have always been moles living under the Icewind Plateau. We've been living here since the beginning of the world. Some of our overworld cousins prefer to live down south," Zarak explained.

A mole approached Volteer and handed him a cup of hot drink. Volteer happily accepted it and drank it but after he realized it tasted bad, Volteer spat it out and coughed.

"Hey, I spent two hours brewing that! Don't spit it out!" the mole exclaimed.

"Sorry," Volteer replied with a cough. "It tasted like insect hemolymph."

"Well, that is exactly what the drink is made of. Frost beetle larvae exude hemolymph that has curing properties and we usually use them as medicine. Of course, if you want something that taste better, we can look for the Malta Foil herb but that is a rare herb that grows near magical aquifers. Other than that, you can also try drinking a concoction of frost beetle larvae hemolymph and crushed Jewel-headed fungus but that will taste worse than the hemolymph alone," the mole said quickly.

Volteer looked at Zarak with a confused look.

"Don't mind Mina, overlander. She's our expedition's medical expert and what she's trying to say is that you better drink that thing and finish it. She doesn't like it when people waste her medicine," Zarak explained casually.

Volteer looked at the cup and made a sour expression.

"Well, normally I wouldn't but insect blood isn't exactly what I fancy in my guts," Volteer muttered.

"Drink that thing and you'll be fine," Mina said flatly.

The electric dragon obliged and drank the sickly green liquid. After finishing the drink, Volteer threw up a bit before he managed to hold back. His face was green.

"Overlanders can't stomach this drink," someone sneered.

"But I must admit that he's the first overlander to drink it all. Others just dumped it away," Mina said with an approving nod.

"Here," Volteer said with a bitter expression as he handed the cup to Mina. "I'm not sure how this drink is going to help but that was absolutely nauseating."

"It'll help,"Mina said, "after all, who else will you, trust besides a medical expert?"

"Well, not all medical experts and practitioners are the same," Volteer muttered so she could not hear him.

While the others waited, for Volteer to heal a bit, Zarak approached Volteer and sat down beside him. Volteer looked at the mole and raised an eye ridge in curiosity.

"You know, it's amazing to see subterranean creatures in the flesh. I can only read from books but to see one…" Volteer said quickly.

"What, have you been living under a rock? We're everywhere; it's just that we seldom show ourselves. You don't see us often, we don't see you often, we're all happy," Zarak said with crossed arms.

"Why so? Wouldn't it be better if you guys surface often to meet us? Think about it. We can exchange conversations about our culture, way of life, foods and so on. The world outside is not that bad," Volteer remarked.

"Maybe to you, it isn't," Zarak said, "but for us subterranean dwellers, underground is home unlike our overworld cousins who prefer to live above ground. We were once flexible in where we want to live but after a…argument between two mole clan leaders hundreds of years ago, they decided that it was best to separate living spaces. Thus, we have moles that live up there and down here."

"Interesting," the lightning dragon muttered, "the moles never mentioned about this before. Tell me, why the split?"

"That, overlander, is not for me to tell you. Only the elder can tell you what really happened," Zarak said flatly.

Hours went by and Volteer felt his insides heal although some of the pain remained. For now, he was able to move his limbs and wings but he could not fly because if he flapped them too hard, it would hurt a lot. The moles brought him through a series of dark tunnels, illuminated with nothing but glowing aquamarine-colored crystals and torches carried by the moles. The lightning dragon walked with a limp but that did not slow him down.

"We're heading for our city, overlander. You may want to mind the low arches that line the tunnels," Zarak warned.

"Where?" Volteer asked.

After he said that, the lightning guardian bumped into one and cracked the earthen arch. He groaned in pain and rubbed his sore head.

"I better give you my so you can see in front of you. The last thing I want is to bring back a dragon with skull fractures at the end of the day," Mina said. "Mind your head or you'll kill us all. The only things that support this tunnel are the arches and if they go, the tunnel will cave in."

"Oh my…" Volteer muttered as he stared at the cracked arch.

Claustrophobia aside, Volteer felt that it was an exciting experience to actually follow subterranean dwellers back to their city. He heard stories of how they built grand earthen cities that could span throughout the entire continent. Sadly, he could not remember the name of that fabled city but he was sure it started with a D.

"Overlander," Zarak called out.

"It's Volteer if you don't mind," Volteer corrected.

"Well, whatever your name is, please be respectful to our elders. They really don't like rude people," Zarak said.

At the end of the tunnel was a great stone door. Zarak and the other moles pushed it open and what Volteer saw made his jaw drop. It was a huge endless cavern that yawned into the darkness beyond but it was not empty. A city of earth and stone dominated the emptiness of the cavern with mega earthen chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, forever illuminating the underground city that seemed as endless as the cavern. Volteer could see busy streets with moles and even tunnel dragons minding their own businesses. Many great buildings and palaces built were based on architectures of the First Age, something that can never be seen on the surface.

"Welcome to Dathula, the last city of the First Age," Zarak said to Volteer.

"Dathula…yes…yes…that is the name of the fabled subterranean city! I can't believe it's real!" Volteer said as he was barely able to contain his excitement and awe.

"Pick up that jaw of yours, overlander," Mina said and walked past Volteer.

Volteer followed them down a flight of steps towards the city.

* * *

Prowlus looked at his wrecked ship and at the survivors. All of them looked tired and cold. Having lost everything when the infected Warfang survivors transformed, there was no other way to reach their destination except walking. The problem now is that they are stranded on an island in the middle of a river delta and they still have a long way to go.

"Hunter, how many of us are left?" Prowlus asked.

"Only five of us plus the dragon," Hunter answered.

Prowlus turned to Marina and shook his head.

"Great…this is just great. We lost our only means of transportation and all of the Warfang survivors have become mindless bloodthirsty creatures," Prowlus said.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Prowlus. It wasn't your fault that this happened," Marina said sympathetically.

"Whosoever controls darkness will pay. I have lost everything because of it and the people I have sworn to protect and help are gone," Prowlus said angrily.

Marina approached the cheetah leader and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"There was nothing you could have done. The forest is a dangerous place and should you have stopped to find for the ingredients, all of us could have died. I could feel the evil that creeps through the forest. They were waiting…but you did not stop. You denied them a chance to kill us all. That, Prowlus, was the right thing to do. I wasn't expecting them to last too long," Marina remarked.

Prowlus took out his sword and pressed it against her neck. Hunter wanted to stop the chief but Prowlus gave Hunter a deadly glare.

"Stay where you are, Hunter, she's mine to deal with," Prowlus growled.

"Chief, what the hell are you doing? You can't kill her!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Why not? Why should I not kill someone who tells me that what I did was right when everything went wrong?" Prowlus asked.

"She's right. If it weren't for your quick thinking, we could have all died. Throwing the infected survivors and cheetahs overboard was not the best thing but it was the right thing to do. They may have wrecked our boat but at least some of us are still alive," one cheetah noted.

"Alive but what can we accomplished with so few of us? Do we march through Keeper's Pass like some kind of god and expect not to get mauled by whatever is in the forest? We've been lucky that we evaded the Jabberwockies but our luck has run out. It does seem like our place in this shattered world has been lost. I feel that like the humans, we will soon become extinct…all of us…will become extinct," Prowlus muttered.

"You're quite the pessimist eh," Hunter noted.

"Prowlus, there is hope yet. The purple dragon lives and he's here to save us again," Marina blurted.

Prowlus paused for a few seconds before looking at Marina with a look that mixed hope, anger and sadness together.

"Spyro…he's dead. Have not heard from him for years now ever since he left us all. If you're trying to rekindle false hope, Marina, I say you're not doing a very good job," Prowlus said and kept his sword.

"But it's true. He lives and I've seen him with my own eyes," Marina insisted.

"Yeah, and I've seen the last human wandering around the forest. C'mon, everyone knows that Spyro is gone…right?" Prowlus asked with uncertainty.

His fellow kin did not answer him. They were unsure as well though Hunter felt that Marina could be trusted. Still, he could not be too certain until he could verify what Marina said was true.

"Marina, don't mind me but where do you really come from? You don't look like someone who is from the south," Hunter said.

The dragoness knew Hunter was sharp but no matter what, she cannot reveal where she truly came from. She swore an oath to do so and she will honor that oath, even if she had to lie.

"I told you that I'm from the southern part of the continent. Why do you not believe me?"

Hunter did not buy her alibi but he was too tired to investigate further. The struggle had drained him of his energy and all Hunter could think of now is to sleep. However, sleeping in the middle of nowhere was not exactly the best idea.

"That's enough, Hunter, I don't really care where she's from. For now, we must think of a way to survive. Search the wreck and see if we can salvage anything useful," Prowlus ordered.

While the others rummaged through the wreckage, Prowlus approached Marina.

"Listen carefully, Marina, you've been a great help to us but I still don't trust you yet. Not that you're evil or anything; it's just that I feel that you've not been telling the whole truth to me. I will put this matter to rest for now and get back to you later," Prowlus growled.

"What is it in you that makes you doubt, Prowlus? Why are you so pessimistic?" Marina shot back.

Prowlus ignored her and went away.

* * *

"Spyro…do you know these guys?" the doctor asked when he saw Spyro staring at the three hooded figures.

"I don't," Spyro whispered, "but I recognize that staff the middle one is carrying. It's Gaul's staff. It may look different but the main body is exactly like Gaul's staff."

"But how can this be?" the doctor whispered back.

The three hooded figures were quiet and Spyro noticed that they were floating above the ground. Another thing Spyro noted is that the gloves they wore looked like as if they were worn over hands but upon closer inspection revealed that they had no arms. Unless they were spirits, it was impossible for someone to pull of something like that.

"Doc, I need you to run. These are not normal enemies and your musket isn't gonna work against them. Let me deal with them. Don't worry, I'll make sure no harm befalls the dragoness," Spyro said.

The doctor was hesitant but after a few seconds of thinking, he nodded and ran past the three hooded figures and out of the alleyway. The figure on the left drew out a long sword while the one on the right drew out a heavy flail.

"One fight leads to another. I guess peace and rest isn't exactly in my dictionary but still, I have to do what needs to be done," Spyro remarked.

The three spread out and circled Spyro slowly and menacingly. One of them leapt at Spyro but he rolled aside and lashed out at his attacker with his tail. However, he hit nothing but air. Without letting up, Spyro stomped on the ground and created a mini quake, a new power he learnt during his exile that utilized existing earth powers. The attack knocked everyone back and that gave Spyro an opening for an attack. The one standing closest to him was zapped by a jolt of electricity and pounded to the ground mercilessly by the purple dragon. The other two tried to help but Spyro turned around and set their cloaks ablaze. Their cloaks burned brightly but did not turn to ashes.

"Whoa, even their clothes are not normal," Spyro said to himself.

The three hooded figures seemed immortal because Spyro just cannot do any harm to them. He could only knock them back and attack them while they are vulnerable but not kill them. It became frustrating and Spyro unleashed a full Convexity blast at one of them. The blast not only knocked it down, it also caused the figure to screech in pain. Spyro may have found a weakness but he knew that his powers will not last long so he had to make every blast count.

"I'll start with you," Spyro said as he turned to the figure that wielded the staff.

He fired a few blasts at the hooded figure with the staff but the blasts were absorbed by the staff's crystal tip. The figure returned the attack but Spyro managed to dodge just in time.

"Okay, so you're not making this easy for me," Spyro said dryly.

Spyro concentrated the Convexity energy into a single sphere in front of his mouth and after accumulating a lot of energy, he fired it the figure again and this time, it blasted the figure and reduced its cloak into nothingness. Spyro could hardly believe his eyes. His opponent was actually a transparent skeleton that made its presence known through the distortion in the air. The skeleton did not look like the skeleton of any creature Spyro has known. It had no sharp fangs and it stood upright…like a human. Humans were the only creatures on the planet that can walk upright properly as their legs do not bend backwards like other creatures when they walk upright. Spyro knew this through the pictures he saw in Volteer's books but he never expected to see one…well, not exactly a human but still…

"Sahinka, draconus, es'war valir orais," the thing said.

"Um…I don't understand what you're trying to say but I wager it ain't something good," Spyro said.

"You don't speak East Aurelian..." the figure said in a hollow voice.

"Whatever language that is, yes, I don't speak it. If you intend on killing me, it's best you do it right now because I'm sick of being attacked and pushed around," Spyro said tersely.

"You…dragon…you do not know how important you are to the plan of the dark ones. We come here not for your soul but to assist you…in ascension to darkness. That amulet of yours…is nothing but a minor hindrance. Be what you were meant to be, do not follow the false path that was set upon you…by the forces of light" the other hooded figure added.

"He who calls himself Dark Master…has already ascended…now…it is your turn…you cannot prevent the inevitable…nor can you postpone it for long…" the one with the staff said.

Spyro gave the two a confused look.

"Wait, so you don't work for Malefor?" he asked.

"Why work for a lesser being…when our orders come directly…from the realms beyond? The dark ones are our gods…not Malefor…he is but a greater pawn…the other creatures…are his pawn…all of us…are pawns to the dark ones…they are chaos made manifest," the thing explained.

"You know, you can stop being so enigmatic and mysterious. It's corny," Spyro remarked. "Besides, if you're trying to help me ascend me into darkness, I don't understand why you should try to hurt me. All the other enemies I've fought all tried to hurt me while claiming that I'm the one needed to help the dark side," Spyro commented.

"They have ways in trying to help you ascend. Some…try to kill you…so they can retrieve your soul and corrupt it directly…others try corrupting you…through indirect methods…nevertheless, no one can truly die…unless their souls are splintered."

"You know what, screw you all. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Write it on the palm of your hands if that can't through your thick skulls. I will not bow to darkness as easily as Malefor did. I don't care if my soul has a sentient dark side. Yir'usani has promised to cleanse me after the next Night of Eternal Darkness and when that happens, too bad for you."

"You seem very sure of yourself…dragon…perhaps we can convince you of our purposes…and powers."

It was amazing that his Convexity powers lasted so long and even after their conversation, he was still able to use it. Spyro moved quickly to avoid getting surrounded and counter-attacked with rapid slashes from his claws. He was careful not to get hit by the weapons because the headache will plague him whenever the weapons came in close proximity with him. That will not do because he cannot concentrate in his fight.

"Take of that amulet…that should ease your pain…" one of the figures said.

"And risk getting corrupted? I'll pass," Spyro said.

He got careless and one of the figures slashed his back with a sword. It hurt but Spyro felt no blood flowing from the slash wound. He turned his head around and saw nothing. His scales and skin were intact.

"Well, it seems like you have a blunt sword," Spyro commented. "Too bad for you."

"No…dragon…you completely misunderstand the situation," the lead figure said.

Suddenly, three beams of white light struck the three figures. It caused them to shriek and reel in pain. Looking towards the source of the light rays, Spyro found himself staring at a being but he could not discern any features because it was too bright for him to see clearly. He could only make out the silhouette.

"Away with you, this world does not need any of your kind corrupting the land," the being said.

"The heavens made you a pawn, vala. You are too late to save this world. It is poised for total destruction. You intervention…will not change anything," the figure with the spear said.

With that said, the three figures turned into black mists and were engulfed in black flames. When the flames died down, nothing was left of them. Spyro then turned his attention to the being as it floated down towards him. Spyro took a few steps back and hit the wall.

"Spyro, I see you're doing well after Bane Kal nursed you back to health," the being said in a soft and calm feminine voice.

"Who are you? How do you know that he and I met before?" Spyro asked.

The being looked at Spyro for a few seconds before saying, "Know me as your guardian, Spyro. You and I have met before many years ago."

"Sorry…but I don't think I've met anyone like you before. The closest thing I've seen that I consider bizarre are giant floating jellyfishes."

"In due time, Spyro, you will know who I am. I have come to warn you about your future…as well as the fate of this world. I will not lie to you, it's not looking very bright and the heavens foresaw the destruction of this world."

"I've already heard many of those kinds of stories. It'll be nice if someone were to say the world will be saved."

"The world can be saved…provided we all play our part and play it right. You have been given a way to purge the darkness from your soul. Follow the instructions and you can change the world's future and fate. Spyro, you have always been a heroic dragon and a powerful one. Purple dragons were given the privilege to usher in a new age. However, that does not mean they are completely invincible to the immortal powers that govern this world. One can become corrupt or become a guiding force for the powers of good. External forces can influence a dragon's mind and decisions but ultimately, what determines the final outcome of a struggle…is your willpower," the being said and placed her hand on his chest.

It felt warm and soothing and Spyro found it welcoming. However, he also felt his dark side stir and growl, as if not welcoming the touch. He also sensed something familiar though he could not put his finger on it. After ten seconds, the being let go.

"Your dark side has become more dangerous and strong. Should that amulet comes off, it will pounce in an instant and you may have little to no chance of retaliating. Spyro, be careful, you still have much to accomplish. Even as we speak, the enemy is preparing to summon forth the army of the netherworld and even the Dark Master himself. Return to Mon Tiara and meet with the Councilors. They are in dire need of assistance," the being said.

"Are they in trouble?" Spyro asked.

"No…they're not but they need all the information they can get in order to assist you in saving the world," the being said softly. "Now go, time is against us. The more you linger here, the greater the threat of getting influenced my Malefor's corruption."

The being rose into the skies above and Spyro felt something warm drip on his head. It felt like…a teardrop.

"The world just got a whole lot weirder but she's a welcoming sight for a change. Still, something about her seems familiar," Spyro muttered.

He heard the sounds of footsteps echoing throughout the alleyway. The mayor and his guards emerged from the corner and he did not look very pleased.

"You're tougher than I have expected, dragon. I thought the shrine and the encounter with the Anubis guardian could deal with you but here you are, still standing in the Dark Master's way and getting rid of his powerful servants while trying to prevent the inevitable. The Archons may have failed to corrupt you but staying in this town and dealing with my militia will. You can try to stop us if you want but you can never stop the summoning of the Convexity Gate. From there, the forces of darkness will emerge to purge this land," the mayor growled.

"Archons…so that is what they call those semi-transparent skeletons hidden beneath the robes. Well, whatever it is mayor, I think you're mad. You ordered everyone in town to be killed without a reason and that's not very nice. Me killing you…that's a different story," Spyro shot back.

"I don't kill these pawns for no reason. I corrupted the town while you were gone so I can harvest more souls to summon the gate. My fellow kin don't die without reason," the mayor said darkly.

Spyro was taken aback by what he said.

"You're just as despicable as Gaul. For that, I'll make sure none of you survive to summon the gate," Spyro snarled angrily.

"No point doing that, we're only distractions while the mages are preparing to summon. Time is running out, purple dragon," the canine mayor said while looking at his golden pocket watch.

The wounded dragoness behind Spyro was stirred by the noise and she gave out a soft groan before opening her eyes.

"Where…where am I?" the dragoness asked softly.

"You know…I'm one soul short required for keeping the gate stable. Perhaps you wouldn't mind if I used your friend?" the mayor asked in a rhetoric manner.

"No!" Spyro yelled. "You have spilled enough innocent blood on your account for your malicious acts. I will not allow you to continue taking innocent lives away!"

He rushed towards the dragoness and shielded her. The mayor feigned disappointment and looked at his watch again.

"Such as steely resolve yet it will serve no purpose in the near future. If you refuse to bow to darkness, I will make you bow one way or another," the mayor said.

His guards raised their rifles and aimed at Spyro and the dragoness. The purple dragon realized he was at the wrong end of too much firepower and a single volley could kill him.

"Don't worry, Spyro, these bullets are not designed to kill you. They are designed to corrupt souls, yours in particular," the mayor explained as if he could read Spyro's mind.

When the gunshots rang out, Spyro knew it was all over.

**Note: Regarding the staff, the significance of it will be explained in later chapters.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_A/N: It has been a long time since the last update. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting. Campus life is a pain but now that the semester has ended, it's time to get cracking again._

Spyro closed his eyes and waited for the shots to impact but none hit him and not even a single scratch could be found on his scales. He opened his eyes and saw only smoking barrels.

"Confound these muskets! They're useless in accuracy!" the mayor cried out angrily.

As the shooters prepared for the next volley, Spyro used this window of opportunity to attack the shooters and knocked them all down and broke their muskets in two. The attackers were masters with the sword too but there was nothing Spyro could not handle. His wings were tough enough to resist the blows and slashes.

"That's for causing grief to the people," Spyro growled as he punched a shooter. "This is for helping the dark side," said the purple dragon while slamming two shooters together in the head. He grabbed another and smacked him to the ground with his tail. "And that's for Cynder!" he shouted.

"What're you waiting for? Get him!" the mayor ordered the rest of his men to attack.

They tried to swarm him but Spyro's quick reflexes allowed him to prevent himself from getting surrounded by canine attackers. It irritated the mayor that none of his fighters could take down the purple dragon. One by one, the canines fell and only the mayor was left.

"You're tougher than I expected. No wonder the others could not defeat and here I thought that I had the upper hand with technology. Commendable effort, Spyro, but you're still not going anywhere until you become one of us," the mayor growled.

"I'll repeat myself one last time, mayor, I'm not interested. If you want me, come and get me yourself," Spyro challenged.

"Perhaps later, dragon, for now I have other things to attend to," the mayor said and ran off.

Spyro then turned his attention towards the dragoness. She was awake but her eyes were still half open and weak from the injuries. She could still manage a smile though.

"Perhaps I have you to thank, purple dragon. I thought I was going to die," she said weakly.

"You're fine now…but you're still weak. Let's get you to a safe place before those maniacs return," Spyro said.

Spyro lifted the dragoness and acted as support for her as she attempted to walk. It was hard but somehow she managed it.

"Never thought I'd see the purple dragon here in the middle of nowhere," the dragoness said weakly. "I wonder what force of nature drew you here."

"I can't understand the works of fate either," Spyro said dryly, "and I could ask you the same too."

"I'm just an agent of a nearby city sent to check on the surrounding towns. We've got reports of dark creatures roaming these areas and unconfirmed sightings of…well…I dunno…creatures from the realms beyond? I never thought that my team and I got ambushed. Couldn't get a good look at the attackers before I was knocked out cold," the dragoness explained. "My name's Ariel by the way and I know who you are."

"Well, saves me from the trouble of repeating my own name to others," Spyro said.

Spyro led her out of the alleyway and as they attempted to leave, Spyro was stopped by a large troll. Unlike the trolls he encountered back then, this troll looked like something of pure energy with electric arcs jumping around its body.

"I knew this was too easy," Spyro muttered.

"You think I'd let you leave so soon, Spyro? The invasion of this world has barely begun," the mayor said while standing on top of the balcony of a school building, "What you see before you is a dweller of the realms beyond. The portal is working but it's quite unfortunate that it isn't working properly, else I would've come up with something bigger. Have you ever wondered how it's like to fight something made entirely of energy?"

Spyro looked at the troll, who silently stared at Spyro with orange-red eyes.

"The dark powers have given me the authority to command their creatures at will and it'll be quite regretful for us all if I have to use it on you," the mayor said.

"Look, mayor, I'm not the least thankful to your offer and I'm sick of everyone telling me that my ascension into darkness is inevitable. If you really want to keep pestering me with that offer, I'm gonna get mad and when I'm mad, you won't like me," Spyro threatened.

"You fool, we don't have to like you to succeed in our plans. We only need you as a tool of destruction and rebirth, a rebirth by shadow," the mayor said darkly.

He pointed a finger at the dragoness and looked at the energy troll.

"Deal with that dragon later. Get that dragoness and sacrifice her for the gate. That should stabilize it enough to allow larger creatures through," the mayor commanded.

The troll nodded and stretched out its hands in an attempt to grab the still weakened dragoness. Spyro breathed fire at it and it took a few steps back. The creature gave a guttural growl at Spyro and ran at him.

* * *

"Green ones, white ones, all so tasty," Sparx sang as he gathered some butterflies to eat.

"Sparx, I don't think it's a good idea to eat those," Collette said.

"Why not? I've eaten the rainbow-colored ones and I'm still fine…though it made me cry a bit," Sparx remarked. "Besides, the butterflies here are a delish compared to those on the other continents. Maybe it's my preference…"

Terrador shook his head and looked around cautiously. He thought someone was following them and he could feel stares though Collette and Sparx seemed oblivious. They could smell the saltiness of the sea and Terrador knew they were close.

"I hope the cheetahs are alright. I don't feel happy sending them down there alone," Terrador muttered.

He looked behind him to check if anyone was following them. Satisfied that it was clear, he turned his head around only to be surprised by Sparx staring at him.

"I've been wondering what you've been up to. You look like you've aged a hundred years," Sparx noted.

"Gee, have I?" Terrador snorted, "It's amazing what stress and hopelessness can do to you," he added sarcastically.

"You dragons should try some of these," Sparx said while handing him some butterflies. "They say it's good for the wings."

Terrador ignored the dragonfly and walked on. He eventually found a path that led to the coast of the Shining Seas. To his relief, he saw that the cheetahs have made camp at one of the river delta islands. It was a long walk to the delta but renewed hope gave Terrador the extra strength to carry on.

"Hey, is it me or does it feels like the moon decided to go overtime?" Sparx asked while pointing at the moon?

Collette and Terrador looked up at the moon and noticed that it was still high above the sky even though it should've been a bit lower over the horizon by now. Collette did not know what was going on but Terrador was worried.

"This is a bad omen. I don't know what's causing it but my instincts say that this isn't natural at all," Terrador muttered grimly.

"Thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious. Things that aren't natural are always a bad omen," Sparx said with his arms crossed.

Terrador wondered if a last stand is even possible now. Things seem to go the way of their opponents and Terrador felt that acting now will not help much.

"Terrador, we better keep moving," Collette said.

* * *

"Mm, fascinating…yes…yes, these are architectures of the ages of old. Never thought that I could see them first hand and still in use," Volteer muttered quickly while touching the wall of a subterranean house.

"We better move on, Volteer, you're drawing a crowd around you," Zarak whispered to him when he noticed that other people were staring at him.

"It must be fascinating for them to see someone from the world above I guess," Volteer said when he too noticed the attention he was causing.

Zarak shook his head and a worry look appeared.

"They don't seem too happy to see you here. Ever since an overlander came here and caused trouble, there have been bad rumors going on that overlanders are planning for an invasion of the subterranean world," Zarak said to Volteer in low voice.

"And when did that happen?" Volteer inquired.

"Two…maybe three days ago," answered the mole.

"And what did he or she do to incite such unwelcoming stares?" Volteer asked some more when he started to noticed angry stares.

"I'll show you," Zarak said through his teeth.

He led the lightning dragon to the center of the subterranean city and showed him a large crater with ice spikes going outwards from the center of explosion. Buildings close to the explosion were either knocked down or were leaning with ice covering the side that received the explosion. The entire crater was surrounded by guards.

"Oh dear, who in the world could've done that?" Volteer wondered.

"You tell us," Zarak said. "Eyewitnesses say that the culprit was a dragon. Not a very nice-looking fellow…had all these protrusions and horns growing out from him. He doesn't talk much either but he growls and snarls a lot, like he's some sort of feral creature. One thing noticeable about him is that he has this…crystal thing sticking out of his forehead. Looks painful."

Volteer's eyes widened. That sounded a lot like Cyril but Volteer never thought that Cyril was able to cause such destruction. It made him wonder how Cyril even knew that an underground civilization existed. Then again, demons know just about everything except the future so it may not be a surprise that the demon in Cyril knew about Darthural. But the question now is that what does it want?

"You look like you know something," Mina said when she saw Volteer's wide eyes.

"How could I not? That dragon you mentioned is my friend and fellow guardian…or used to be until a demon took control of him," Volteer muttered.

"Then we better see the elder quickly. The building that used to be in the center of explosion is the Darthural Artifact Museum. I'm no detective but I'm sure he wants something in there," Zarak said thoughtfully.

After gawking at the crater for a while, they led Volteer to a palace where the elder resided. Security was tight and the guards were not really welcoming Volteer. After some lengthy explanation by Zarak and Mina, they finally allowed Volteer in but they still gave him dark stares.

"Not a very happy place, eh," Volteer said.

"Not since that incident that involved your friend. Hopefully the elder can help resolve the situation before things get out of hand," Zarak replied.

They approached a room with two heavy double doors and opened it slowly. The room was well-decorated and the smell of incense filled the air. An old mole with long and white moustache was seated at an earthen table, writing something.

"Elder, we have brought to you an overlande dragon. He may know a thing or two about what happened earlier," Zarak said politely.

The mole elder was slow to respond and when he did, he turned around slowly and put on his glasses. Even then, he still could not see clearly.

"Mm, is that you, Zarak?" the elder asked.

"Aye, I'm near the door," Zarak called out.

The elder mole got off his chair and grabbed his walking stick before walking towards the door. With his failing eyesight, he could only see the blurry silhouettes Zarak.

"An overlander with information you say? Well, that is welcoming news indeed for I need to know everything. Oh yes, this situation is dire indeed…yep…dire indeed," remarked the elder while nodding his head slowly.

He wanted to talk to Volteer but instead of facing the yellow guardian, he turned to face a statue of a dragon instead located next to the door which was about as tall as Volteer.

"Hmm, what sort of dragon are you? You're all brown…and clammy," the elder said when he touched the earthen statue.

"Umm, elder, I'm right here," Volteer said softly.

"Of course you're there, sonny, I couldn't be talking to a statue," the elder replied.

"Gee, I couldn't have guessed," Mina said with a snicker.

The elder poked the statue with his walking stick and felt the stick sink into the wet earth.

"Oh, that explains it all. That's the earthen statue I sculpted some time ago. Ahem, forgive me, I'm a bit blind and senile so you'll have to bear with me…wherever you are, overlander," the elder said while looking around.

"Hey, how does he sculpt a statue when he's half-blind?' Volteer asked Zarak in a whisper.

"Nobody knows. He just seems to have this supernatural talent of sculpting things even when he's almost blind," Zarak whispered back.

The elder beckoned them to come in and offered Volteer a seat on a chair too small for him. The lightning dragon opted to sit on the floor instead and he was careful not to bump into the chandelier.

"I hope the guards did not give you too much trouble when you came here," the elder said.

"It's no problem, really," Volteer remarked. "I can't blame them for being cautious."

"So you've heard about the little incident that happened some time ago. Zarak told me you might know a thing or two about this. If you can divulge to me whatever knowledge you have, perhaps it can help solve this crisis," said the elder while returning to his chair.

Volteer narrated about Cyril and how the demon possessed him and how he tried to chase after Cyril but lost him in a snow storm. The elder listened carefully and nodded his head. While he may be half-blind, his hearing was still sharp.

"That's about it guess," Volteer said after he finished his story.

"So he used to be your friend but now he's possessed? A sad fate indeed and the powers of the other world cannot be underestimated. Even the mightiest and strongest of dragons can fall prey to its corruption. Something has been disturbing me for a while and I feel it may be connected with your friend…or rather the demon within your friend."

"What do you mean, elder?' Zarak asked out of curiosity.

"I'm one of the few moles who study and utilize magic and over the course of a century, my skills have been honed to the level where I can sense disturbances in the natural equilibrium. As of now, the equilibrium is tipping towards the side of darkness for I sense dark energies seeping into our world. It's overwhelming, as if the forces of darkness are preparing the final invasion against the forces of light. That led me to believe that the demon is after an artifact of great importance to them, something which was kept in the museum," the elder explained.

"And that is?" Volteer asked.

"The trans-planar gate keystone. They are alternative means for opening Convexity Gates and far more reliable than using sacrifices to open them. They are hard to produce and from the First Age to the present age, only five have been made. Each keystone has a unique sigil and the one we have is the ice sigil. If memory serves me well, the site of one of the Convexity Gates lies in the hidden village of Snow's Reach located in the Icewind Ridge up north."

As if Volteer woke up from a sleep, he suddenly realized why Cyril wanted to go to Snow's reach in the first place. He never thought that Cyril could've been possessed right after the demon stone was inserted into him.

"He's been planning this all along? Darn, I should've seen it coming!" Volteer exclaimed.

"Is it bad? Are the forces of darkness really trying to take over this world?" Mina asked in a worried tone.

"Oh yes, they are a dangerous lot and even as we speak three gates have been activated worldwide and one gate is much closer to home. If they open all seven Convexity Gates, a Convexity Supergate will appear and that will allow the greatest and most powerful of dark creatures to cross into our world, even the Dark Ones as well," the elder said darkly.

"How do you know such things? It's like forbidden knowledge," Volteer said cautiously.

"My friend, if you ever studied the writings and knowledge of Jarren Tiberius, your eyes will be open to things you can never comprehend completely even if you're a magic practitioner. I chose to study the knowledge of the dark side because I feel that the knowledge I gain allows me to defend my own colony from darkness but I soon realize that not only is this not helping, the unpredictable and powerful nature of darkness renders all mortal defenses useless. Plus, it led me to my current ailment and unnaturally long life, which I see as a curse," the elder said guiltily.

The others were silent, shocked by the fact that the elder actually studied dark arts. Even if it was for the greater good of all subterranean dwellers, it was still morally wrong to study something which exposes one to a power that overwhelms everything mortal.

"I do not wish for what I've learnt to go to waste. Even if the world is in trouble, I still hold fast to the hope that we will prevail. Mortal institutions and powers cannot possibly defend entirely against them but there's always a way to fight back," the elder added.

"How can we do that? You already said that there's no way for us to defend against the forces of darkness!" Zarak exclaimed.

"Not if we cut off the only means of an invasion from the other world. If one can destroy the Convexity Gate before it becomes fully stable, it will render the gate useless for the next one thousand years. There is no way for us to completely destroy the gates but we will do what we can do."

Volteer stood up and headed for the door.

"Where're you going, dragon?" the elder asked calmly.

"I can't just let my friend summon a gate and allow darkness to flow into our world. If what you say is true, then I must stop him," Volteer said.

The elder gave a light chuckle and sighed.

"You're determined but can you really stop your friend? He has the power of a demon and there's no way you can restrain something which is three times your strength. The only way you can stop him from activating the gate is to destroy the keystone and prevent him from sacrificing the villagers of Snow's Reach as an alternative mean for summoning the gate…though I doubt you'll succeed in preventing lives from being lost. Keystones are rather fragile so you may succeed, provided you can get close enough."

"It may pain me to do so but if this is for the better of this world, I'll have to kill Cyril. Better to sacrifice one life than to end up ruining the lives of billions."

"Or you can save the life of your friend and the world if you can remove the source of his possession," the elder said while tapping his forehead to emphasize his point.

"But he said that it's not that easy," Volteer remarked.

"True, it's not easy but only because one has no faith and does not believe in what he does. If you can believe in what you do and do it wholeheartedly, you will find that the stone can slip out of his forehead like pulling a knife from butter."

Suddenly, they heard explosions coming from the city square and when Volteer looked out of the window, he saw smoke and fire rising. It was as if a riot broke out.

"The powers of darkness easily corrupt the hearts of mortals. I would not be surprised if wars and internal strife happen more frequently now compared to back then. The Dark Ones are laying their hands on us and we're failing under its weight. They seek to destroy what remaining unity we have so their minions can control the world easily. It's a simple yet effective plan and it's working."

Just then, a guard came into the room, his armor torn and skin scarred from a battle.

"Elder, a riot just broke out in the city square! I don't know what happened but moles and dragons suddenly turned on each other! Someone accused dragons of being the harbingers of evil and they retaliated," the guard reported.

The elder shook his head and turned to look at Volteer with a sad look.

"I never thought Cyril's actions could sow so much distrust in the hearts of my kin. Then again, these are dark times and even the smallest suspicions can trigger a full-blown attack. Volteer, as much as I want you to stay a while in our city, I fear that you may become a target for not only the moles but to the subterranean dragons as well. They have a strong distrust of overlanders and they will attack you on sight. Leave Darthural and head for Snow's Reach. Stop your friend before he can open a Convexity Gate."

The elder instructed a guard to take Volteer to a surface entrance located not far from the palace but instead of taking a quiet route, the guard led him into the heart of the conflict. The mistake was unintentional because guards were taught to follow certain routes but that mistake nearly costs Volteer his life.


End file.
